Samaritan's Feet Partners with Transportation Insight to Provide Shoes and Hope to Those in Need

HICKORY, N.C., Sept. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Global third-party logistics (3PL) provider Transportation Insight joined forces with Samaritan's Feet and volunteers to host a Shoes of Hope distribution at the Hickory Foundation YMCA Saturday. Volunteers washed the feet of less fortunate children from the Hickory, NC area and provided them with a new pair of socks and shoes along with a message that offered them hope for a brighter future.

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"All of us at Transportation Insight are truly honored to partner with Samaritan's Feet.  We embrace the spirit and generosity that the humanitarian aid organization represents," said Transportation Insight Chief Executive Officer Chris Baltz, who participated in the event. "The opportunity to humbly serve others by cleansing their feet and sharing a message of hope was a blessing to our entire company."

Whether a Shoes of Hope distribution is in Peru, Nigeria or Hickory, North Carolina, the message is the same. Volunteers wash the feet of those in need, share the love of God and adorn their feet with a new pair of socks and shoes. This year, more than 800 members of the community attended the event, and Transportation Insight easily surpassed its goal of raising enough money to purchase and give away more than 600 pairs of shoes. 

"Many people put long hours into planning this event, but it was truly a labor of love for all of us," says Wendi Gonzalez, head of this year's Samaritan's Feet event planning committee for Transportation Insight. "We were able to make a difference in the lives of so many youngsters and their families.  The Holy Spirit was definitely in the Hickory YMCA Saturday. It was a blessing to be able to participate in such a wonderful cause and help Samaritan's Feet spread its uplifting message about the love of Jesus Christ through our community."

As a child growing up in Africa, Samaritan's Feet Founder Manny Ohonme received his first pair of shoes at the age of nine from a missionary. With that pair of shoes, he started playing basketball and other sports. After high school, he received a basketball scholarship to the University of North Dakota – Lake Region where he received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. He spent ten years in the marketing and logistics business making his way up the ladder, but he never forgot the other little boys and girls in Africa who were still living under the strain of poverty, drug abuse, war, gangs and other criminal activity. Determined to help impoverished people, he left the comfort and security of his executive position to fulfill his dream of providing 10 million new pairs of shoes to 10 million impoverished children in 10 years.

"We believe at Samaritan's Feet that it is the human right of every child to be able to own a pair of shoes," said Ohonme. "To us a pair of shoes is not just a pair of shoes. It's a vehicle to inspire those children and remind them that the God that created them wants to do something spectacular in their lives."

Baltz added, "Samaritan's Feet has created an efficient way of spreading a hopeful message to so many children around the world.  A testimony to that fact is the very high level of participation by Transportation Insight employees and their families at every Shoes of Hope event we have."

About Transportation Insight, LLC

Transportation Insight is a global lead logistics provider with more than $1.4 billion in supply chain spend under management. For over a decade, the 3PL has partnered with hundreds of manufacturers, distributors and retailers to achieve significant cost savings, reduce cycle times and improve customer satisfaction rates by providing customized supply chain solutions. Transportation Insight offers a Co-managed Logistics™ form of 3PL, carrier sourcing, freight bill audit and payment services, state-of-the-art transportation management system (TMS) applications, and business intelligence. Its logistics services include domestic transportation, international transportation, warehouse sourcing, LEAN consulting and supply chain sourcing of indirect materials. For more about Transportation Insight, visit www.transportationinsight.com.

About Samaritan's Feet

Samaritan's Feet is a 501(c)(3) humanitarian aid organization that shares a message of hope and love through washing the feet of impoverished children around the world and adorning them with new shoes. There are an estimated 300 million children who go without shoes every day and more than 1 million that die each year from foot-borne disease. For more information about Samaritan's Feet, go to www.samaritansfeet.org.  

Contact:
Lisa Santos Farley
Email: [email protected]  
Phone: 828-485-5000

SOURCE Transportation Insight, LLC