Samaritan's Feet

What Samaritan's Feet does

Samaritan's Feet International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanitarian organization founded in 2003 by Manny and Tracie Ohonme, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its core mission is providing new shoes as a foundation for spiritual and healthy lives to individuals lacking proper footwear, executed primarily through the Shoes of Hope distribution program and its sub-programs (One City, Sports, Seniors, Shoe Lockers). Each distribution is bundled with Hope Totes (shoes plus socks and items) and Hope Notes (personalized encouragement messages), and certain international distributions use proprietary World Shoes with antimicrobial properties designed to prevent infections in recipients' feet in developing regions. Since founding, the organization and its partners report serving nearly 12 million people across 113 countries and over 625 U.S. cities.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based and diversified across six streams: one-time individual donations, recurring monthly "Sole Society" subscriptions, corporate Shoe Locker sponsorships ($5,000 for 250 shoes; $10,000 for 500 shoes), Amazon Smile passive e-commerce giving, planned/legacy giving (in partnership with the National Christian Foundation), and corporate matching gifts. Distribution occurs through organized shoe-distribution events at schools, community centers, refugee resettlement sites, and disaster-affected areas, supplemented by organized volunteer mission trips both domestically and internationally. The organization reports approximately 90% of expenses going toward programming and holds Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating and Candid's 2024 Platinum Seal of Transparency. Beneficiaries include children in underserved communities, seniors at fall risk, refugees, and disaster-affected populations; donor and partner relationships span individual donors, healthcare providers (Sanford Health), peer nonprofits (Save the Children), and government offices (Tennessee First Lady's office). Samaritan's Feet does not have a technology product, app, or proprietary software platform; operations rely on standard nonprofit CRM and a Charlotte warehouse facility.

Name

Samaritan's Feet

Legal name

Samaritan's Feet International

Website

https://samaritansfeet.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Samaritan's Feet International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 that distributes new shoes, socks, and encouragement materials to children, seniors, refugees, and disaster-affected populations in 113 countries and 625+ U.S. cities, funded through individual, corporate, and planned donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Aid Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

Keywords

• Humanitarian shoe distribution
• Nonprofit footwear aid
• Charitable shoe donations
• School shoe locker programs
• Disaster relief footwear

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals, families, and organizations. Donors can give through the website, with 90% of finances going towards programming.
2. Monthly Giving (Sole Society): Recurring monthly donation program where donors commit to regular contributions and receive recognition as part of a special donor group.
3. Shoe Locker Sponsorship: Corporate and individual sponsors can adopt schools or communities for shoe distributions. Pledges include $5,000 for 250 shoes or $10,000 for 500 shoes.
4. Amazon Smile: E-commerce donation program where Amazon donates a portion of qualifying purchases to Samaritan's Feet.
5. Planned Giving: Legacy giving options including residual bequests, percentage of estate, pecuniary bequests, specific gifts, and life insurance policies.
6. Corporate Matching Gifts: Many companies match employee charitable contributions, allowing donors to multiply their impact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Samaritan's Feet International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides new shoes to children, seniors, refugees, and underserved communities in the U.S. and internationally as the foundation for a healthy and dignified life. Its core service is the Shoes of Hope distribution program, which delivers new athletic shoes, socks, and personal encouragement messages (Hope Totes and Hope Notes) through volunteer-led distribution events, mission trips, school-based Shoe Locker sites, and disaster relief efforts across 113 countries and more than 625 U.S. cities.

Product overview

Samaritan's Feet is a non-profit humanitarian organization that serves and inspires hope in children by providing shoes as the foundation to a spiritual and healthy life. Their primary offering is the Shoes of Hope program, an overarching shoe distribution initiative that operates both domestically and internationally. The organization delivers its mission through several interconnected programs including One City (community-wide distributions), Sports (athletic communities), Seniors (elderly populations), and Shoe Lockers (school-based programs). Each distribution includes not just shoes but also Hope Totes (packaged bags with socks and items) and Hope Notes (personalized encouragement messages). The organization utilizes specialized World Shoes with antimicrobial properties for certain distributions. Since its founding in 2003, Samaritan's Feet has served nearly 12 million people across 113 countries and over 625 U.S. cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shoes of Hope: Samaritan's Feet overarching shoe distribution initiative both in the United States and around the world, bringing a life-changing message of hope, love, and compassion.
• Sole Society
• 1,000 Samaritans
• Hope Totes
• Hope Notes

Products and services

• Shoes of Hope Samaritan's Feet's overarching shoe distribution initiative operating both in the United States and around the world, bringing a life-changing message of hope, love, and compassion to children, adults, and seniors through the gift of new shoes delivered via volunteer-led distribution events.
• One City A community-wide shoe distribution initiative designed to serve entire cities through coordinated volunteer-led distribution events across schools, community centers, and partner organizations.
• Sports Program Shoe distribution program focused on sports communities and athletic programs, providing new athletic shoes to student-athletes and youth sports participants in underserved communities.
• Seniors Program Shoe distribution initiative specifically serving senior citizens, providing fall-prevention footwear and dignity through new shoes to elderly individuals at risk of slips and falls.
• Shoe Lockers School-based shoe storage and distribution program in which corporate or individual sponsors adopt schools and provide ongoing shoe support for students, with sponsorships priced at $5,000 for 250 pairs or $10,000 for 500 pairs.
• Sole Society (Monthly Giving) Recurring monthly donation program where donors commit to regular contributions and receive exclusive recognition as part of a special donor group, providing predictable, recurring revenue for the organization's programs.
• World Shoes Specialized shoes containing antimicrobial properties designed to help prevent foot infections in recipients in developing regions, distributed through the Shoes of Hope program.
• Mission Trips Organized volunteer trips both internationally and domestically to conduct shoe distributions, allowing donors and supporters to participate directly in service delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served nearly 12 million people globally since 2003
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered regional, major and core.

• Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee / Tennessee ServesregionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2022Tennessee First Lady Maria Lee and her initiative Tennessee Serves partnered with Samaritan's Feet to provide shoes to all students in Perry County, Tennessee. Governor Bill Lee issued a proclamation recognizing the event.
• Sanford HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSanford Health partnered with Samaritan's Feet to provide shoes along with additional health services to students in Lekpongunor, Ghana. Over 1,600 students received new shoes along with deworming pills and health education.
• Save the ChildrenmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSave the Children funded a shoe distribution for Carr Creek Elementary in Knott County, Kentucky, enabling nearly 400 students affected by the 2022 floods to receive new shoes.
• Feed the GenerationscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMatthew Atokple, Founder of Feed the Generations, serves as Samaritan's Feet Ghana Host and coordinates local operations for distributions in Ghana.
• Amani Women's CentercoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAmani Women's Center in Clarkston, GA serves as a community hub for refugees, partnering with Samaritan's Feet to host shoe distributions for the diverse refugee community.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Soles4Souls: Soles4Souls is a nonprofit that distributes shoes and clothing to people in need worldwide. It is the most direct peer to Samaritan's Feet, operating an analogous donation-funded shoe distribution model targeting underserved communities both domestically and internationally.
• TOMS (TOMS Shoes): TOMS pioneered the one-for-one giving model, donating a pair of shoes for every pair purchased. It is a direct peer in addressing footwear insecurity for children in developing regions, though TOMS is a for-profit brand while Samaritan's Feet is purely donation-funded.
• Feed the Children: Feed the Children is a nonprofit addressing child hunger and basic needs, including clothing and footwear distributions in underserved U.S. and international communities. It is comparable as a direct-service nonprofit with similar community-distribution events and donor model.
• Shoes That Fit: Shoes That Fit is a nonprofit that provides new shoes to children in need across the U.S. through school-based programs. It is a direct niche peer with an analogous shoe-distribution mission focused on school children, often partnering with school districts.

Others

• International Justice Mission: International Justice Mission is a faith-based international human rights and anti-trafficking nonprofit. Comparable as a faith-rooted global NGO drawing on similar donor demographics and Christian philanthropy networks that support Samaritan's Feet.

Broad incumbents

• Samaritan's Purse: Samaritan's Purse is a much larger evangelical humanitarian organization with global disaster relief and aid programs. It shares a similar faith-based mission and name origin (and Samaritan's Feet explicitly notes no affiliation), operating at broader humanitarian scale across multiple relief verticals.
• Save the Children: Save the Children is a major international NGO focused on children's welfare, education, and disaster relief. Samaritan's Feet already partners with Save the Children (e.g., Carr Creek Elementary), and the overlap in mission and target population makes it a clear broad incumbent peer.
• Buckner International: Buckner International is a faith-based nonprofit serving vulnerable children and families through international humanitarian programs, including footwear and clothing aid. Comparable as a faith-based international humanitarian organization with similar mission and target populations.
• Catholic Charities USA: Catholic Charities USA is a large national social services network providing humanitarian aid including clothing and household items to low-income families. Comparable as a faith-rooted nonprofit serving overlapping populations in the U.S. with similar event-driven distribution models.
• World Vision: World Vision is a large Christian humanitarian organization focused on child welfare, including footwear and clothing distributions in developing regions. Comparable as a faith-based international NGO serving children in underserved communities with overlapping donor pools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Samaritans_Feet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheSamaritansFeet
• Facebookfacebook.com/SamaritansFeetInternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/samaritan's-feet-trust-international
• Instagraminstagram.com/samaritans_feet

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Samaritan's Feet