We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Manny Ohonme. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Manny below.

Hi Manny, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I was born in Lagos, Nigeria. When I was around nine years old, my life changed. I was out selling water in a park and noticed a lot of commotion coming from the basketball court. A stranger from Wisconsin approached me and invited me to enter a contest where the prize was a pair of shoes.

I had never owned a pair of shoes, so this was beyond my wildest dreams.

I’ve never played basketball, but I ended up winning that contest and owning my first pair of shoes. I ran home proudly to show my mom, completely forgetting the water I was selling.

But even more important than the shoes were the words of hope from the “Good Samaritan” from Wisconsin gave me. Those shoes and that encouragement became a symbol of hope to me and a catalyst to my love for basketball.

I continued playing basketball and was awarded a scholarship to play basketball in the United States. I earned multiple degrees in business and economics, and then began a career in logistics, supply chain management, and business development within the technology industry. But I could never forgot the children of from home in Nigeria nor the “Good Samaritan” that encouraged me to believe in my dreams and never give up.

After a trip home in Nigeria and seeing the children who were just like me, barefoot and in need, my wife and I decided we needed to do something. So, in 2003, we founded Samaritan’s Feet International, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, with the purpose of sharing hope with those in need by washing their feet, giving them a new pair of shoes, and helping them to believe that dreams can come true.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

At the age of nine years, my life changed. I was out selling water in a park and noticed a lot of commotion coming from the basketball court. A stranger from Wisconsin approached me and invited me to enter a contest where the prize was a pair of shoes. I had never owned a pair of shoes, so this was beyond my wildest dreams. I’ve never played basketball, but I ended up winning that contest and owning my first pair of shoes. But even more important than the shoes were the words of hope from the “Good Samaritan” from Wisconsin gave me. Those shoes and that encouragement became a symbol of hope to me and a catalyst to my love for basketball.

I continued playing basketball and was awarded a scholarship to play basketball in the United States. I earned multiple degrees in business and economics, and then began a career in logistics, supply chain management, and business development within the technology industry. But I could never forgot the children of from home in Nigeria nor the “Good Samaritan” that encouraged me to believe in my dreams and never give up.

After a trip home in Nigeria and seeing the children who were just like me, barefoot and in need, my wife and I decided we needed to do something. So, in 2003, we founded Samaritan’s Feet International, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, with the purpose of sharing hope with those in need by washing their feet, giving them a new pair of shoes, and helping them to believe that dreams can come true.

We provide new shoes to children, adults, refugees, those experiencing homelessness, and seniors throughout the United States and around the world. Shoe distributions are the heart of Samaritan’s Feet. The methods can look different, all depending on the community in which we’re serving and the preferences of the sponsors, but the end result is the same: giving shoes and a message of hope to those in need. We’ve worked with global companies, local offices, churches, non-profits, and individuals, who all want to make a difference in the lives of others.

When we host a shoe distribution, whether it’s in a remote village of Ghana, the jungles of the Philippines, or downtown Atlanta, Georgia, our platform is built around one-on-one connections, just like I experienced in Nigeria when I was 9 years old. Volunteers sit across from the recipient, get to know their hopes and dreams, show compassion and kindness through connection, and then wash their feet and give them a new pair of properly fitting shoes.

Why shoes you may ask?

1.5 billion people are infected with diseases that are transmitted through contaminated soil (World Health Organization, 2013) which could possibly be prevented with proper footwear. And in the United States, Shoes and socks are reported to be in the “Top 5 Items Needed” by students in school (Champions for Kids, 2015). With Seniors alone, slips and falls are the leading cause of injury and death among the senior population (CDC, 2023).

So with shoes, individuals can be protected from diseases that enter through the feet, children can go to school confidently and comfortably so they can focus on learning, and seniors can move around safely which can improve their quality of life.

I am proud to say that our team and network of partners will have served 10 million people by October 2023 in over 590 U.S. cities and across 109 countries.

Have you ever had to pivot?

There are two instances that come to mind when the organization really had to pivot. The first is in 2008/2009 with the stock market crash. Prior to that, the majority of our shoes were donated. When that crash happened, that stopped and we had to think of a new process that would create sustainability. So at that point we created more of a “sponsorship” method where companies, corporations, etc. would sponsor distributions by donating a certain amount per recipient. This new system increased our revenue, created sustainability, and allowed us to continue serving during a time that was difficult for many. We still use this process today and it is incredibly successful when corporations want to make a difference within their footprint and communities.

Another instance is COVID-19. Like any other company or person, non-profits were not immune to the impact of that, especially since we rely on human touch and international travel in order to serve. Our team came together to brainstorm how we could continue serving during that uncertain times. We decided that the story of hope hadn’t stopped. So we created something called “Hope Notes” where people from around the world would submit encouraged messages online and we would disperse those notes at future distributions. It was a way to keep our constituents engaged while also pushing our mission forward of giving hope. I believe we will continue this as long as our organization operates. We also modified what our distributions looked like in a few different ways: we created Hope Totes, bags that would contain the new shoes to limit human contact, began doing “drive through” distributions, and started Shoe Lockers, a supply of shoes kept on-site at a school or facility to address needs as they arise. Today, we still use all of these methods, especially Shoe Lockers, as it allowed us to appeal to and work with more organizations.

All of these pivots came from the team gathering together, brainstorming, and thinking differently about what they are already passionate about.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

There is something for everyone at Samaritan’s Feet. Anyone can become engaged with us and do good alongside us. Individuals can go on an international mission trip, celebrities can tweet out endorsements, families can serve in our warehouse sorting shoes, churches can do shoe drives and fundraisers, and corporations can become financial contributors and sponsors.

One of the most effective strategies at growing support for Samaritan’s Feet has been corporate engagement, as corporate social responsibility is very important for companies right now. When companies sponsor distributions with us, they often want their employees to volunteer at those events. When they serve their neighbors in need, their hearts are engaged and then we have their attention for potential financial investment.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.SamaritansFeet.org
• Instagram: @Samaritans_Feet
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamaritansFeetInternational
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/samaritans-feet/
• Twitter: @Samaritans_Feet
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUK1PFDuKBZ43tRZvk1nXCw

Image Credits
Samaritan’s Feet International