Shoe mountain will rise to beat cold feet
The generosity of catholic parishioners will see a new mountainous and footwarming landmark rise on Sunday.
Overcoming poverty is a tall mountain to climb, but thanks to an idea from the Archdiocese of Wellington the children of low decile schools will be able to take up the challenge with warm feet.
The piazza of Sacred Heart Cathedral will this Sunday be filled with kids-sized shoes and socks.
The idea is to create a ‘mountain of mercy’.
The shoes and socks will then be delivered to low decile schools throughout the archdiocese area – stretching from the Wairarapa to Levin and as far south as Kaikoura and the West Coast.
They will not just go to catholic schools.
Pastoral assistant to cardinal John Dew, Lorraine McArthur said the idea originated from the Year of Mercy committee and cardinal Dew.
‘‘Cardinal John walked around one Saturday and found 20 homeless people living out of shop door fronts and kept thinking about how they need warm socks, sleeping bags and things,’’ she said.
‘‘It’s all come around this idea that there are a lot of people who are poor and children are the most vulnerable victims of poverty in New Zealand.’’
The committee had been told from principals that on any given day up to 10 per cent of pupils were in need of footwear.
The response from within parishes had been ‘‘very, very generous’’ so far, she said.
‘‘It’s really taken to the hearts of parishioners.’’
She wanted the mountain to be as big as possible and had been blown away by the interest, she said.
‘‘It’s mainly because people really want to help but often it seems too big, too amorphous. But because this is quite specific they know that the shoes and the socks will be delivered. It’s going to the source.’’
Parishes throughout Wellington have been collecting shoes and socks throughout July.
St Vincent de Paul members will then help distribute the items around the archdiocese.
McArthur said that anyone could get involved, whether they were a part of a parish or not, by buying new shoes and socks and bringing them to the piazza at Sacred Heart Cathedral on Sunday, July 24.