Footprints for the Kingdom
Local nonprofit strives to get those in need back on their feet
Footprints for the Kingdom officially joined the Dayton Chamber of Commerce with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at the January Monthly Luncheon. The Vindicator | Ariel Turner
Diane Mayhew (left) met with the Texas Emergency Hospital Radiology team members, including Brandy Alaniz, who donated more than 319 pairs of socks after holding a sock drive to partner with Footprints for the Kingdom. Contributed Photo
Staff members at homeless shelters across the country work tirelessly to provide warmth and basic necessities to those in need each and every day. According to those who work in these shelters, socks are the most requested item for those living in shelters and on the streets.
Shoes are a highly requested item as well, as they provide a lifeline to those most in need, many of whom walk miles daily just to seek out their basic needs.
Local resident and realtor Diane Mayhew felt driven to help alleviate this need within Liberty County and the surrounding communities by forming the nonprofit organization Footprints for the Kingdom.
“It’s a God thing,” said Mayhew. “I just kept thinking about socks, and I didn’t understand why. Then I started collecting them and gathering shoes, and I just felt that God was telling me to give them away.”
Footprints for the Kingdom first came to fruition during the first wave of Covid-19 lockdowns.
I saw homeless people and children in need, and I just thought about how I could help them and help the community,” said Mayhew, who had been donating many of the socks to those she saw living on the streets.
As the nonprofit kicked off, Mayhew and her organization were able to hand out shoes and socks to more than 350 people in 2020. That number grew to 825 in 2021.
Mayhew has partnered with several other local nonprofit organizations and ministries, as well as local businesses and clinics, who have been eager to help the mission grow. Staff members at Texas Emergency Hospital recently held a sock drive, donating all the socks collected to Footprints for the Kingdom.
She has also set up distribution at her own church, New Life Church, where she was able to give more than 70 pairs of shoes and socks to those in need.
“I love helping people,” said Mayhew. “It’s very much a blessing to be able to deliver them myself. I ask if I can pray for them, and I’ve prayed for so many things for the people I encounter. I’ve prayed for health. I’ve prayed for families. I’ve gotten to speak with several people who had backgrounds similar to mine, and I want to give them hope that God has a future laid out for them. Giving them hope is something that our world needs.”
Being able to provide that much-needed hope has brought Mayhew to tears on more than one occasion.
“People often contact me after, thanking me for shoes I’ve given their children or someone they love, and it feels like we really are making a difference,” said Mayhew.
She hopes to partner with more local organizations and schools to determine the most prevalent need.
“We are a local resource that can help people,” said Mayhew, who hopes that Footprints for the Kingdom can help many more people in the years to come.
For more information or to donate, call 936-402-9222, or visit the Facebook page for Footprints for the Kingdom.