Retired minister sells collected shoes to support water drilling in Kenya

George Hutchings, a retired minister, is a "miracle worker" who changes shoes to water. He collects shoes, sells them and uses the money to buy hydraulic drilling rigs and ships them to Kenya where a charitable group hires Kenyans to drill for clean water. So far more than 100 wells have been constructed to bring clean water to thousands of people. Hutchings, who is originally from Leopold, Mo., and referred to as the Shoeman, organizes collections through his not-for-profit Eagle Wings Ministries. On June 17 he picked up a truck load of shoes at the Baptist Association near Cape Girardeau, including two pickup truck loads collected by churches, schools and individuals in the Scott City area, with one complete load obtained by Miss Emily Weatherspoon who also initiated the drive at Scott City High School. Donations will continue from 9 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays at the Scott City Food Pantry and through local churches. They have collected five truck loads to date. Hutchings said "The pure joy I feel when a new drill is dug is hard to put into words." To help, call Hutchings at 636-751-8197 or e-mail george@shoeman.org. For more information, visit www.shoeman.org.