George Hutchings likes to tell people that he wants their soles. Hutchings, also known near and far as “The Shoeman,” came to Warrenton last Saturday to set up a shoe drop-off point at Village Bookstore and promote his project to the community. A former Marine who served in the Vietnam War, Hutchings is a man on fire about doing good in the world, and his shoes-for-water program is proving that the smallest contributions from individuals can and do add up to make life-saving differences in the poorest countries of the world. Chances are you have seen or heard about Hutchings’s work on the evening news as he and his crew were among the first to take off to Haiti in the aftermath of the country’s earthquake to bring water purification tools to the ravaged region. Or you might have seen one of the stories about churches holding shoe collection drives to benefit people in Africa who are desperate to own protective footwear to guard against injury and disease and for accessible clean water. “What struck me when I first visited Kenya was that the kids I saw weren’t interested in the candy I brought and offered them,” said Hutchings. “They wanted bottled water.” After observing kids in local schools who had no water to drink throughout their day and the ritual of women rising at 4 a.m. to walk five or six miles one way to retrieve murky water from the nearest source, Hutchings immediately started to investigate how he could drill wells in the community to provide clean, clear water. He learned how to buy drilling rigs and then how to drill and teach others to help. So far, he has dug 240 wells in Kenya, and plans to drill 100 more this year. He has been known for putting the rigs on display in the St. Louis area to show people what it is they are contributing to through their donations. Shoe Donations Pay For Water Projects, Protect Feet and Support Businesses Buying well drilling rigs and water purification systems is not cheap, and Hutchings knew that for the project to be successful and sustainable, he would need to find a way to help fund the capital costs over time. That’s when he discovered the economics of shoes and the powerful connection that comes when people give from their own closets. “People in Kenya are in desperate need of shoes to protect their feet,” said Hutchings, noting that there are no department or big-box stores nearby for people to buy shoes and other clothing items Americans take for granted. “At the same time, people there are trying to become self-sufficient through setting up kiosks to sell and make money.” Hutchings found an exporter who would buy new and used shoes from Hutchings at 35 cents a pound, ship them to Africa and enable vendors there to sell them inexpensively to people in the community. The money Hutchings makes from the shoe collections goes to pay for drilling equipment and other water-retrieval costs. “There’s something I’ve learned about people when they go to their closets for donations,” said Hutchings. “They have attachments to shoes in particular, and when they make the decision to give up those items for the good of others, it really makes for a powerful connection.” Warren County Connection Valerie Hays, who runs the Village Bookstore on Main Street in Warrenton, has known Hutchings for years and traveled along with her family to Kenya with him on drilling missions. Like her friend Hutchings, she too has a passion for helping to provide for others in need. She started Mercy’s Hope to benefit orphans and widows in Kenya, and sells colorful and intricate crafts and jewelry handmade by women in Kenya in her bookstore downtown. It’s no coincidence that the store has an African motif, with painted murals of a Kenyan landscape and other touches throughout the store and coffee bar. Hays said the store itself is part of her commitment to help others. “We wanted to do something for the community,” she said. Focus on Kenya With Ripple Effect at Home Hutchings has had a life-long interest and commitment to helping people in other countries. In college, one of his professors lectured about the fact that many rulers of rogue countries had studied in America and formed negative opinions about the United States based on their experience here and specifically what they perceived as arrogance toward people of foreign backgrounds. Hutchings decided then and there that he would dedicate his life to affecting those perceptions one person at a time. He began helping foreign students get to the United States to study, then assisted them with housing, meals and hospitality once they got here. It was in that host capacity that he encountered a young man from Kenya studying at Missouri Baptist College. Hutchings became fast friends with the young man, John Kihumba, who told him about the plight of his people in Kenya and would take back shoes for people in his village. Kihumba was robbed and murdered in 2008. “People sometimes ask me if we could do more good by helping people here at home,” said Hutchings. “I tell them about the people I’ve been able to hire here to help, so we’ve created jobs, we’re buying equipment here, and we also provide scholarships for people at home.” “My defining moment came in visiting a town in Kenya that had not had a local source of water in 30 years,” he added. “In this work in Haiti and Africa, I’ve come to believe it’s the NGOs (nongovernment organizations) and individuals — not the governments — who are in the best position to get things done.” Since many women are attacked in their long walking trips to retrieve water, Hutchings’ well projects save individuals what otherwise is a “day of toil and terror.” How Residents Can Help Hutchings and Hays encourage residents to drop off new and used children, youth and adult shoes at the Village Bookstore, 206 East Booneslick. Tie the laces or use a sturdy rubber band to keep the shoes in pairs. For more information, visit www.shoeman.org.