Denise Biggs, owner of Katie’s Soles, has you covered. Your feet, that is!
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March 15th is National Shoe the World Day, and we have someone locally who is doing just that: one family at a time.
Denise Biggs, founder of Katie’s Soles, has made it her mission to ensure that no man, woman, or child goes without a pair of shoes. For several years, she has been diligently collecting donations of gently used and new shoes and delivering them for free to those in Central Virginia.
On March 8th, she is celebrating 6 years of Katie’s Soles and expressing her thanks to everyone who supported this important work through the years. The need to provide shoes to the world is still great. Imagine yourself or your loved ones in need of a pair of shoes. Now imagine how someone would feel to be given a pair of shoes from you. Come out and support Katie’s Soles and make a difference: one step at a time.
Read more about Denise Biggs and Katie’s Soles in her interview with Elizabeth Baber on my blog!
E is for Elizabeth Baber and D is for Denise Biggs
Denise Biggs, owner of Katie’s Soles, has you covered. Your feet, that is!
E: Hi Denise! We were so excited that you would do this interview with us. We’re really looking forward to the event you have coming up with the opening for your location! Is it a new location or the first time you have a physical store?
D: Well, actually, this is my second location. The other location had to close because they were doing some remodeling. So tomorrow is a grand opening for my new space, which is February the 5th. It’s at 22 West Washington Street, Petersburg, Virginia. People are welcome to come anytime, five days a week from 8 to 5:30 or by appointment, by 5 o’clock.
E: Wonderful! Okay, so the first question I think everyone has when they hear about your organization is, who is Katie?
D: Katie is my mother. She passed away from cancer in 2000. I wanted to start something in her honor because grief is real, and I didn’t realize I was having such a hard time with grief. So, she used to tell us to always have good shoes on our feet when we were growing up. She used to work in the school system. It was hard back in those days to afford shoes. So I would see her save up her money and go down to this local store in Petersburg called Stanley James. And she would go down there and get her pair of shoes and come back home, go to work, and she would take them off when she’d come back home and shine them up and put them back in the box because she wanted to keep them because, you know, she had paid a lot of money for them.
So that was my thought that I was like, “Okay, I can do something with shoes.” And she always used to tell us to have good shoes on our feet and have your hair done because people will look at your head and they’ll look at your feet. And I just thought about that. So I just said, Katie, her name was Katie, and a soul. She was a good soul of her heart and the sole of your feet. And so the soul of your heart and the feet goes on. I want to carry her legacy. Every time somebody gets a pair of shoes or something, I want them to know the heart and the love that she passed on to us. I want to pass it on to people. So reaching one soul at a time.
E: That is so awesome. And leads right to the next question: Why is this mission important to you?
D: Yeah, it’s because of the love for my mom. And it helps with helping other people because she was a loving and kind person. So I want to share what she instilled in me by giving back to others.
E: Absolutely. What is the process of collecting shoe donations?
D: So we have a lot of processes. So people can do a drive at their job, church, or whatever organization, just set up a box and they can ask other people to donate. And then I will come and collect it or we will meet. So now that we have this location, they can come and bring us the shoes. We have drop-off spots in the area, different locations where people and businesses have let us be able to drop off shoes at their location which in turn gives them opportunities for people to come in and see their business and then help my business as well.
E: Okay. Awesome. Do you use volunteers to help you with all of this and if so, what do they do?
D: So today, actually, we’ve been getting ready for opening. I had some volunteers come in, and sort the shoes. We get the tables together, unpack the shoes, put them in order from children, men, women, boys, girls, you know, all that kind of stuff. We didn’t label anything today, but normally we will label and it’s just so much to do. We’ll clean them if they need it, like dusting out. And we spray them with Lysol and stuff like that to make sure everything is in place and stuff like that. Then we set up the shoes; so in my space, we have shelves and we put them on the racks where they can be seen.
E: How can someone volunteer with your organization?
D: You can always reach out on our website. We have a website, and that is www.katiessoles.org. Or they can call me at 804-920-4985. Also, they can DM me on Facebook or Instagram. We also are on JustServe and you can go on to that link, and then it is an email to me if you want to donate your time, volunteer stuff.
E: Do you need to have any qualifications to volunteer or any particular skill?
D: No, because we will figure out what your skill sets are, and then we’ll put you in those places that we need to help you and help us. So we’re always looking for IT, help with the computers and, you know. So it’s always something to do if you’re just passing out flyers, creating a flyer, or organizing something. Facebook, a lot of people are really good at their Facebook and YouTube and stuff like that. So it’s always something to do.
E: Good to know! In terms of shoe donation, is there a demographic you need a higher quantity of donations for, such as adult shoes, child shoes, or a particular style of shoes, like sneakers or dress shoes?
D: So now I’m finding the need is men’s shoes, men’s work boots, or the slip-resistant shoes for people to go to work. And that’s for women and men for work shoes. And children, boys, of course, boys’ shoes.Well, both, but boys’ shoes because they’re rougher on their shoes than girls’. And girls’ shoes are cheaper than boys’ shoes. Boys’ shoes are a little more expensive. And boys do not stay as long, they are a little rougher than girls. I’m not trying to stereotype, but it is a fact.
E: No, I can attest to that. I’ve got eight younger siblings. Boys definitely go through their sneakers a lot faster than I ever did and a lot faster than any of the girls ever do.
D: Yeah, so, we definitely need boys’ and men’s shoes. That’s our number one. The children’s shoes are number one and men’s.
E: Okay. That’s good to know. Is there a particular time of year when you’re in need of more donations than other times?
D: I think, like, right now, because people have, like, settled down and they’re not in the mode of giving anymore or just relaxing from the busy December/November. These are the months when everybody is giving, giving, giving, doing, doing, doing. And so February is kind of slow. People just trying to get back into the swing of going back to work or doing this or that. And then it’s cold outside and people just want to go home after work. They don’t want to go out as much as they did before, in the springtime and the summertime.
E: That makes unfortunate sense. So, how do you find the clients that need your shoes? Do you work with other organizations or agencies or…walk me through that process?
D: Yes. So we have been invited to a lot of events like pop-up shops and then once we go to these events and people will see what we do, what we offer and then they will ask us to come to their event and then they partner with them and so you just go from being like almost not known about until everybody wants you to come to their event to partner with them because the need is so great. And I didn’t realize until I started this, that the need is so, so great.
So, yes, we have a lot of partners. We have Anthem. We have Centera, United Healthkeepers. We partner with the Department of Social Service. Now we are the Veterans Center here. We partner, actually, I got a call today. Someone on the 12th is having a community baby shower, so they want me to come and talk about what I do and bring some shoes with me and stuff like that. We partner with the mental and family services also and just a lot of different organizations I can’t even name them all.
E: It sounds like a lot of people are recognizing the work you’re doing and like you’re saying that there’s a really big need for it. So when you go to these different events, are you going there to give shoes to clients or just to advertise your organization or just to receive donations?
D: All of the above, I guess. So sometimes we go to – I also want to shout out Petersburg High School and Petersburg Public School System. I help them out in the different schools that I go to too, so I just wanted to shout them out. And People’s Advantage, I just thought about those too. Okay, so to the question about, yes, I go there to give shoes, then I get information, and some people will donate if they know I’m at such and such event. And some people will bring me shoes if they know I’ll be there. Because some people follow me on Facebook or my other platforms, and I tell them I’m going to be an X, Y, and Z, and then they’ll show up. You know, they show up and say, oh, I got some shoes for you, or, I have a donation or something like that for you.
E: Okay, awesome! What sort of feedback do you receive from your clients or the individuals you’re helping get these shoes?
D: They are very grateful, thankful. I can remember a young man who was at the bus station. It was a resource fair there, and he came in, and his shoes were really torn up, and they were too small for his feet. So he came over to the table, and he asked me if I had a size…I guess I’ll say, eight. And I found the eight for him. And he took those shoes off that he had on. He put those new shoes on. And you should have seen his face. He was so excited, so happy. He threw those shoes in the trash that he had on his feet. And that had made my day that day. I said “he’s the person I came for. I’m good now.” I served the other people, but that person made the day for me because I was in the right place at the right time, and was able to help this young man to get him a pair of shoes.
E: Oh, that’s so awesome. Thank you for sharing that. That’s really special. I can feel the emotion coming from you about how special that time was, and I feel it too. That’s so nice. So, we have the grand opening tomorrow, but looking ahead to next month to your celebration gala for the six-year anniversary, is that right?
D: Yes, it’s a luncheon. It is on March the 8th, 2025 at 12 o’clock p.m. And it’s at 6901 Hopkins Road, North Chesterfield, Virginia, 23234. The donations are $40 for adults and $15 for children. The ways that you can give are Cash App, KatiesSoles100. If you want to do PayPal, it’s katiessoles@gmail.com. And Giveify, KatiesSoles.
If you want to write out a check, you can write out the check to Katie Soles. My P.O. box is 34852 North Chesterfield, Virginia, 23234. And if you can go on the website, and that’s www.katiesoles.org. If you have any questions, if you want to email me that’s on there. So we would love to have you there. We’re going to have music. We’re going to have comedy, some poetry. We’re going to have a silent auction, so people can bring their money to bid on some good things that we have. And just going to have a good time, you know, have some food, fun, laughter, and to raise some money, awareness to Katie’s Soles and the work that we’re doing in the city.
E: Do you have a fundraising goal for the anniversary?
D: My goal is $5,000 or more. I don’t think that’s too much. I think that’s a pretty reasonable number to me. It’s up there.
E: That’s a lot of money, but it’s in reach. I think that’s a really good idea.
D: Yeah, and what I want to do is if people will commit to giving a certain amount each month, it won’t be as bad. Even if you give $10, $5, if you give $5 each month, that will help, you know, $10 each month. And you can set it up where it comes out of your account each month, right over to ours, and you can get a tax deduction at the end of the year. So all your donations are tax deductible. So if you give, you can get a tax statement at the end of the year. Some people don’t want it. Some people do. So I always give people that option to be able to write off that tax donation at the end of the year.
E: That’s good to know. What are your plans for the future of Katie’s Soles?
D: So my plan for the future is right now we are inside another space. One day I want to have my own space and to be able to expand Katie’s Soles vision to be able to help with housing, with education, to give people financial education, health, wellness, just a whole body, from the head to the toe and all in between, to be able to give them food, resources, and just be able to help people right where they’re at. That’s my long-term goal. Right now, the goal is just to do what I can do for people one day at a time, one person at a time, and just be able to share the love of Jesus and just to put a smile on someone’s face. That’s all.
E: Well, there’s definitely a smile on my face because this is just so amazing to hear about. I was in love with the idea as soon as Debra brought up the idea of interviewing you and just from reading your website and the things on there about what you’re doing and hearing you talk about it. It’s so good to see someone having recognized that need in the community and actively serving to work towards it. Thank you so much for doing this with us. Is there anything else you’d like to make sure that we communicate with our readers?
D: Yes, I guess the passion that I have to serve in the community, to serve people, to, you know, to make sure their voices are heard and their needs are met. If I have it or if they need it, I’m going to try to get it for them. I’m going to try to find one of my resources to get what they need because there are too many resources out here for people to not have what they need. It’s just a matter of you opening up to let somebody know that you need the help.
And I want to be that person to be able to help somebody, you know, that mother that needs those diapers or that mother that needs to know how she’s going to get a ride to work or how she’s going to get a ride to the laundromat, to further her education, help her with the process of getting her back in school. To make a better life for her and her children and not be on the system. You know, it’s okay to be on the system, but, okay, how can we get you off the system, to get a better life for yourself.
E: Something more than just the bare minimum. Something that can actually be comfortable and enjoyable in a life to live.
D: Right, absolutely. And I just want to push those tickets, the ticket sale, and want people to come out and share. I want people to follow me on Facebook and Instagram to tell somebody about Katie’s Soles. Don’t be afraid to donate. Don’t be afraid to help somebody. And don’t be afraid to share the love of God. That’s what I want people to know about Katie’s Soles.
Denise Biggs, CEO of Katie’s Soles, featured on Virginia’s NBC 12
Donate to Katie’s Soles today!
About Denise Biggs
Denise Biggs is a business, and entrepreneur extraordinaire and the Founder and CEO of Denise’s Daycare Center and Katie’s Soles; who specializes in loving the people of our communities. Denise constantly partners and strategizes with other non-profits to bring together a common process where all of those who are in need can reach the resources available to them.
Katie’s Soles is a non-profit program which provides shoes for the under privilege and economic challenged communities across the Richmond and tri-cities area. Denise firmly believes that every pair of shoes is spreading love from the time
the need is met.
Debra Hill
Debra Hill is an independent inspirational singer, author, songwriter, and writer. As a blind performer, she adds a personal story of God’s faithfulness. Her life exemplifies that Christ’s power will work to lift all regardless of circumstances.
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Special Thanks to Elizabeth Baber and Dr. Shakira for all that you do to make it happen.
