Foot care providers from the University of Connecticut Health Center have taken part again this year in a Thanksgiving season effort to provide foot exams and distribute proper footwear at homeless shelters throughout the United States.

Dr. Vinayak Sathe, Kathy York, Lori Engengro, and Cindy Hart volunteered Tuesday night at two locations in New Britain: the Friendship Service Center and the Salvation Army. Dr. Michael Aronow, who’s been the local organizer of this annual event since 2007, rejoined his former New England Musculoskeletal Institute colleagues for the evening.

Between both shelters, 43 pairs of shoes and dozens of pairs of socks were provided, and more than 130 additional pairs of shoes or boots were left behind to help others throughout the year.

“It’s important for us to be a part of this to show that we care, and it’s the best opportunity to give something back to the less privileged and fortunate,” Sathe says.

The Conti Project, as it’s become known, is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania nonprofit Our Hearts to Your Soles, the Tennessee nonprofits Soles4Souls and Socks2Soles, and retailers such as Red Wing Shoes who donate footwear from their inventory. The goal is to provide medical foot screening examinations and well-fitting shoes, boots and socks to men and women in need.

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