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The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus is proud to recognize an extraordinary community effort inspired by Denise Stevens, a dedicated volunteer with our university's Nursing Street Medicine Program (NSMP).
Denise was moved to action after volunteering with the NSMP at an “Under the Bridge” outreach event beneath the Highway 86 overpass at Dillon Road in Coachella. During that event, three unhoused individuals arrived without shoes. Despite best efforts, shoes that fit them could not be found. One person’s feet were so badly injured from walking barefoot that CSUSB nursing students and the supervising nurse had to clean wounds and wrap the feet in gauze for protection.
“Unhoused people walk an average of ten miles a day,” Denise explained, “especially in remote areas like Coachella. Shoes are not a luxury - they’re a medical necessity.”
Motivated by what she witnessed through her work with the NSMP, Denise brought the idea of an emergency shoe drive to her congregation, the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert. What followed was an outpouring of generosity. Within weeks, church members organized the "Heart and Sole" emergency shoe drive, carefully tying and labeling shoes by size and gender and including clean socks to ensure immediate distribution to those in need.
On collection Sunday, donations poured in nonstop. The volume quickly exceeded expectations - so much so that a van had to be rented on the spot by church member Ross Hawkins to transport the shoes - and another supporter, Rob DuWors, personally rented a storage unit when space ran out.
The final count:
• More than 1,000 pairs of shoes, including athletic shoes, boots and sandals - many purchased new specifically for this drive
• Hundreds of pairs of socks
Outreach teams consistently report that shoes and socks are among the most urgently needed and fastest-distributed items when serving unhoused populations.
We are deeply grateful to Denise Stevens, the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Desert and all of the community members who helped turn firsthand experience into meaningful action. This partnership reflects the heart of the CSUSB Nursing Street Medicine Program - meeting people where they are, with dignity, care and compassion.
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