Utahns lend a hand — and feet — to Kenyan families

LINDON — Parker George went barefoot for two weeks.

The 25-year-old Orem resident and a few others walked from house to house, around the mall and to various other locations collecting shoes for Kenyans in need.

His campaign, called "Parker's Project," started at the end of May — just six months after his return from Kenya, where he saw many children go without shoes. George and many supporters already have collected more than 4,300 shoes. On Tuesday, George got these shoes ready to be shipped.

"Parker's Project" is just one of many groups that collected or donated supplies to be shipped to Kenya by In Our Own Quiet Way, a Utah-based nonprofit organization aimed at helping those in need help themselves.

About 100 volunteers helped box about $1 million worth of school, medical and humanitarian supplies. The items will fill two large freight containers and be shipped Aug. 1 and arrive in Kenya at the end of October, said Crystal Miller, In Our Own Quiet Way's director of operations.

"It will easily serve tens of thousands of families in Kenya," Miller said.

Part of the $35,000 In Our Own Quiet Way raised last month at the Princess Festival will pay for the shipping. The rest of the money will go to buy food from stores in Kenya to feed those who would otherwise go without.

Lisa Hatch and her two teenagers were among those who volunteered Tuesday.

"The thing I like about In Our Own Quiet Way is that they really are what they say they are," said Hatch, of Orem. "They are people who just get it done. They don't let excuses get in their way."

In Our Own Quiet Way began about six years ago and has since teamed up with about 25 other charities and at least 10 product partners in an effort to tackle needs in Africa. On Wednesday, In Our Own Quiet Way co-founder Ron Hatfield is flying to Kenya to start a dam-building project.

Hatfield hired an engineering firm to build two 40-acre reservoirs in hopes of combating the severe drought there. If it works out, In Our Own Quiet Way hopes to build 1,000 dams next year, he said. The organization also is working on building a feeding center there.

Hatfield said he often gets discouraged at night, but when he wakes up, he realizes he is helping people on the other side of the world.

"It's a restoration of hope and humankind," he said.

Standing just a few feet from Hatfield on Tuesday, George still has bruises on his feet from going barefoot. At the moment, he wears flip-flops, but he often kicks off his shoes to go barefoot after his two-week run to continue to reach his goal of collecting 10,000 pairs of shoes.

Although George's project is named after himself, he said he doesn't want people to think about him when they think about the cause. Instead, he wants them to think about the power an individual can have.

"One person can make a difference," he said. "One person can change the world around them. There are small things you can do every day. This is what I'm doing to change the world."

e-mail: slenz@desnews.com