Caring for the Feet of the Poor

Profound Servanthood

In the urban center of a southern city I encountered Brother Ron, a man who completely altered my previously tidy perspective on servant hood.

In an area that few suburbanites frequent, I caught up to a parade of ragtag people heading into a mission. I followed them to find this Brother Ron, who a friend said was located within.

At the front desk I inquired as to his whereabouts. The staff member visually scanned the crowded room and then pointed. I followed her finger to a portly, bearded man walking toward us. When Brother Ron arrived I held out my hand. He ignored my hand and pulled me into a strong embrace.

During an ensuing tour of the facility, Bother Ron told me that he was a plain-clothed friar who moved to the city eight years earlier. He took no credit for running the operations at this shelter that served 120,000 meals a year. With all modesty, he described himself as just the "foot guy."

"What do you mean by foot guy?" I asked. "Follow me," he said.

He led me to a room at the back of the common area that had two Naugahyde recliners with basins in front of each. Along the side wall were shelves; one held small metal instruments, another supported bottles of lotion and tubes of ointment. A third was loaded up with stacked towels.

Brother Ron explained that homeless folks spend an incredible amount of time on their feet, walking from place to place, standing in lines, or just standing around. As a result, their feet suffer. He added that many of the ailments that homeless folks endure are actually born in their feet. Something as treatable as a blister can quickly become infected, altering the person's gait, and eventually affecting posture, circulation, and more. Corns, callouses, bunions, and spurs are caused or exacerbated by poor podiatric hygiene.

"When they come in," he told me, "I first wash their feet; then I clip and file their toenails. Sometimes I'll do a foot massage. Next I examine their feet and care for their assorted injuries and various sores. Before they leave, I make sure they have new socks and properly fitting shoes."

The rest of the tour was a fog. I was shown many things, but all I saw was Brother Ron kneeling at the hurting feet of the homeless, living out John 13 like no one else I've known.

A Great Need

Socks are likely the least of your wardrobe concerns. But for someone who's homeless, socks are a critical part of his or her attire. With so much time on their feet and without the benefit of regular laundry service homeless people often trod the streets with socks that are wet, crusted with dirt, and filled with holes. And that's not healthy.

In many city rescue missions, foot care is a pivotal starting point for staff anxious to engage homeless people and offer radical hospitality in Jesus' name. Where, you might ask, do missions get such things as new socks? They get them from individuals who understand all that's involved in radical hospitality to the poor and joyously donate them.

In light of society's abiding homeless population, the demand for such supplies is at an all-time high. And that is why the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions (AGRM) North America's oldest and largest network of independent, faith-based emergency shelters and addiction recovery centers is thrilled to be the distribution charity of choice for a campaign going on right now from coast to coast that will gather thousands of pairs of new socks and distribute them to people in need.

A Great Opportunity

The catalyst for the campaign is a new family-oriented motion picture from Walt Disney Studios titled "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." Staring Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, and CJ Adams, the movie opens in theaters everywhere August 15th. The delightful central character in this heart-warming story is a young boy who wears tube socks at all times, the reason being an interesting plot point.

Viewers are encouraged to buy new pairs of socks and place them in a sock box that they will find in their movie theater or in local churches, schools, and various places of business. The Hanes corporation is also a major part of the project. They will be donating an additional 10,000 pairs of socks to the initiative. AGRM, Disney, and Hanes are all encouraging people to enjoy "The Odd Life of Timothy Green", an enchanting tale full of positive ideas, family values, and characters of virtue and then to actively participate in this drive that will ultimately bless a multitude of men, women, and children who are living much of their lives on the streets in need of basic attire that so many of us take for granted.

You might not be in a position to care for the feet of the poor in the same way that Brother Ron does, but you can certainly be the supplier for those doing that kind of ministry. Thank you, in advance, for stepping up and tossing in the socks.