Twenty students from George Washington University Hillel recently teamed up with the D.C. Central Kitchen, Yaleet, Inc. (the American distributor of Israeli-brand NAOT Footwear) and Comfort One Shoes for the second annual "Fulfill Your Sole" event. "Sole" gave students the opportunity to make a difference in peoples' lives by fitting graduates of the D.C. Central Kitchen's Culinary Job Training Program with new shoes to help them to start each day on the right foot.
"This event means a great deal to our graduates. It helps them start their new lives with the basic tool of well-fitting shoes so they can move forward in their journey toward a healthy life," said Mike Curtin Jr., the COO of D.C. Central Kitchen.
The program was organized by GW sophomore Yonit Lax, whose father, Steve, is the president of Yaleet. The students measured and fit more than 100 graduates and members of their families with a wide variety of shoes, according to Rob Fishman, the interim executive director at GW Hillel. NAOT donates an average of 150 shoes each week to shelters and survivors of national emergencies.
"The homeless are an invisible population to many, and the shoes will help them get back on the career track," Fishman said. "We hope the program will continue for many years to come."
Since 1990, D.C. Central Kitchen's Culinary Job Training Program has helped more than 450 men and women move from homelessness or public assistance to sustainable careers in the culinary arts. For more information, visit dccentralkitchen.org.