Dr. Gary Stewart, orthopaedic surgeon with Resurgens Orthopaedics took part in the first national effort to help relieve the foot problems experienced by area homeless. “Our Hearts to Your Soles,” founded by Pittsburgh teen Matt Conti in 2005, is teaming up with Dr. Gary Stewart to provide free foot screenings and footwear to residents of the Calvary Refuge Center.
“It is a pleasure to be part of this event and provide help to those who need it,” Dr. Stewart said. “It’s common for this population to suffer health issues from wearing shoes that don’t fit properly, simply because they don’t have the resources available to find shoes that fit. Our goal is to get them back on track to good health.”
With help and support from Soles4Soles, the international charity that collects and distributes new and gently worn shoes to needy people around the world, Our Hearts to Your Soles has been able to screen, fit and provide footwear to over 1,000 homeless men.
On November 27, 2007 “Our Hearts to Your Soles” and Soles4Souls distributed more than 2,500 pairs of new shoes to homeless shelters in twenty-five U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, New Orleans, Charlotte, Minneapolis, Rochester, and others. “After participating in the Pittsburgh event in 2006, I knew that once I moved to Atlanta, I could bring the project here”, states Dr. Stewart.
“We were able to provide shoes to dozens of residents at Light of Life, many of whom were wearing shoes several sizes too small for their feet,” Dr. Stewart said. “The men were extremely grateful after trying on the new shoes. This experience inspired us to think bigger and broaden our outreach on a national level”
For more information about Our Hearts to Your Soles, visit www.heartstosoles.com.
