A generous mother from Arkansas is receiving accolades for purchasing the entire inventory of a closing shoe store to donate the shoes to those in need.
Carrie Jernigan was shopping at a Payless Shoe Store in Alma with her children when her daughter requested an additional pair of Avengers-themed shoes for a classmate who had outgrown hers. Jernigan gladly agreed to buy the shoes for her daughter’s friend. However, on a whim, she inquired about the cost of buying all the remaining shoes in the store.
“I jokingly asked, ‘how much for the rest of the shoes in the store?’” Jernigan recounted. The cashier’s reaction indicated that the idea was feasible, prompting her to provide Jernigan with her contact information.
The district manager later reached out to Jernigan with the total cost to purchase approximately 1,500 pairs of shoes, and she eagerly accepted the offer. Since her purchase in May, Jernigan and her family have been distributing the shoes to children in their community who are in need.
Jernigan expressed her pride in her children’s values, stating, “If you ask them what they want to be when they grow up, they say to be kind. I don’t care what they do in life as long as they are kind and good people.” She emphasized that this experience has reaffirmed her belief that their hearts are in the right place, and that works for her.