The city’s homeless won’t have to worry about what to wear on their feet this summer.
On Friday staff at Shelter House handed out 125 pairs of free Old Navy flip flops to their clients, saying healthy feet make for healthier people.
Tessa Murray, event co-ordinator at Shelter House, said the first annual Flip Flop Friday was a huge success and met with a warm reception by residents.
“You’ve got to make sure you’ve got clean footwear because without it, it can result in infections and stuff like that,” Murray said.
“We want to make sure our clients have as clean adequate footwear as possible, so we’re offering the flip flops to promote the clean footwear. And should they choose to store their (other) footwear here they can do so, so when the cold weather comes we can give them back their shoes.”
Old Navy, which each year summer holds a limited-time, $1 flip-flop sale, allowed Shelter House staff to purchase as many pairs as they wanted to outfit their clients.
“We’re hoping to give them all out today.”
The idea also sparked a little generosity from at least one man, who happened to be shopping at Old Navy last Saturday, when a staff members was buying flip flops for the giveaway.
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, asked the staffer why he was buying so many pairs. When told it was for Shelter House, he paid the bill, calling it his good deed for the day.
