For most of us, a new pair of school shoes is something we take for granted.
But for thousands of San Francisco Bay area homeless children, it’s a treat – something that protects and comforts tiny feet, helps them fit in with their classmates, and masks their poverty.
My New Red Shoes, a Bay Area nonprofit, helps children in the Bay Area start the school year on the right foot by donating a new pair of shoes to those in need. In addition to gathering and distributing footwear, the organization creates homemade bags for children that include new shoes, $50 Old Navy gift certificates, school supplies, a tag that says “made with love by X (the volunteer’s name),” and a personalized note – just a few special touches to make each child feel loved and important.
Intuit employees from the Employment Management Solutions team volunteered at the organization’s headquarters, using their We Care and Give Back hours to help sort and organize the items for distribution.
“Our team took a few hours out of our day to organize shoes by size and type, sew shoe bags and write personalized, handwritten notes,” said Anu Sanghvi, group product manager. “In addition to our volunteering efforts, we got the opportunity to eat lunch with the non-profit’s team to understand the struggles they face and what keeps their team motivated every day.”
This Redwood City business is a long-time Intuit Online Payroll and QuickBooks customer. Their heart and soul is a small team of four who, on a daily basis, organize, count and keep track of all their donated shoes on paper.
“By volunteering at this great organization, we got a chance to live in our customers ‘shoes’ for a day, and experience their day-to-day struggles first hand. We also donated shoes to help them with their goal of serving 6000 children this year,” said Sanghvi. 
“One pair of shoes can change a life for a child in our local community,” said Jennifer Yeagley, executive director of My New Red Shoes. “We’re an organization that thrives on donations and goodwill, and with the help of Intuit and our loyal volunteers, we’re hoping to grow and make a difference to more children in our community, one shoe at a time.”
