About Footwear with Care
Most homeless people lack decent footwear and regular foot care. To make matters worse, they tend to walk everywhere in all kinds of weather. In Hartford, CT, Footwear with Care (FwC) is changing this dynamic.
Since 2016, FwC has been delivering great walking shoes and boots, medical foot exams, and other support to homeless children and adults in Hartford. To help homeless people secure and keep jobs, it also provides steel-toed boots, non-slip kitchen shoes, and dress footwear for work in construction, culinary services, and offices.
FwC was started by Abby Sullivan Moore, a journalist and author, with the help of Deb Barrows at the nonprofit Community Partners in Action. She was inspired by Hartford Police Officer Jimmy Barrett. A veteran and advocate for the homeless, Officer Barrett bought new shoes for a homeless vet whose only footwear were worn-out flip-flops.
Abby reached out to Stephanie Blozy of FleetFeet Hartford (who immediately donated 40 pairs of shoes), the Connecticut Podiatric Medical Association (CPMA) and Hartford Police Department.
Once a program of the nonprofit CPMA Foundation, FwC is now an independent 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit. FwC is powered by a large and dedicated corps of volunteers from throughout the Greater Hartford area and is supported by donations from individuals, businesses, churches, schools and grants from foundations.
Today FwC helps people in need through Officer Barrett and through outreach efforts, engaging churches, schools, shelters, police, soup kitchens and others serving the homeless community.