Carlmont’s A Step Forward shoe drive collects footwear to support the community.
A Step Forward, a non-profit organization, was started by Carlmont students. With boxes located all over campus, A Step Forward welcomes students and teachers to donate shoes of all sizes this holiday season.
“I don’t think people realize that some don’t have shoes to put on their feet. Our mission is to try and bring awareness to that by collecting shoes for the less fortunate across the Bay Area,” said Lucas Zago, the vice president of the non-profit.
Zago was motivated by the impact the organization he is a part of has on the Belmont community.
“Just seeing the excitement on people’s faces when we drop off the shoes is all the satisfaction I need,” Zago said.
As the event persists, Zago and his team have continued to push the charitable message, inspiring others around him to do the same.
“I wanted to give my unused shoes a new home, and I knew it would be better if I donated them to someone who might need them rather than letting them sit at home,” said Hana Huynh, a junior at Carlmont participating in the shoe drive.
Through helping those in need and hard work, A Step Forward has encouraged students all across Carlmont to donate to a communal cause, involving both students and staff members.
“The Carlmont community, the teachers especially, have made the shoe drive super easy to run and really accessible to people all over the school. One of the AP Environmental Science (APES) teachers even has incentives for their students to bring in more shoes,” said Ronok Tanvir, the president of A Step Forward.
A Step Forward has worked together with Carlmont’s administration to put empty boxes both inside classrooms and throughout the school, optimizing shoe-donating opportunities during class time as well as in passing.
Taking a stand for those without the luxury of having shoes on their feet, Tanvir, Zago, and their fellow classmates have donated shoes all over the Bay Area to places such as homeless shelters, youth centers, senior homes, and other high-traffic locations. As of this year, 5000-plus shoes have been donated.
“Our long-term partner is the Redwood City Catholic Worker House, where most of our shoes have gone in the past. We do have a lot of partners though, and we try to distribute it as evenly as possible,” Zago said.
Taking steps towards a brighter future, the leaders of A Step Forward have started planning for further charitable endeavors, branching out from Carlmont alone.
“We plan to run shoe drives at other schools, especially at the smaller schools like elementary schools and middle schools,” Tanvir said.
With every set of shoes donated comes another pair of protected feet in the Bay Area.
“We save souls, one sole at a time,” Tanvir said.
