Michael Franti goes barefoot and raises money for Soles4Souls Photo: Michael Franti
Michael Franti of the band “Michael Franti and Spearhead” just put 22 pair of rare, collectable Michael Jordan shoes up for auction on ebay to support the Soles4Souls charity. Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based nonprofit that distributes shoes to people in need throughout the world. Franti's action as well as that of Josh Cranfill the man who donated the shoes is an act of genuine spiritual generosity at this time when so many are thinking about "what's in it for me."
Soles4Souls has given away over 5.5 million pairs of shoes since 2005. That’s one pair every seven seconds. “Michael Franti and Spearhead” have just released another hit album “The Sound of Sunshine,” and they use their concerts to collect shoes for the charity.
This is an especially meaningful partnership since Franti has been going barefoot for the past nine years. Although he has a preference for not wearing shoes, the choice to go barefoot came about when he was touring poor countries where people could not afford shoes. He then decided to go without shoes for three days as a display of solidarity with those who were shoeless. That act of dedication has continued for nine years.
He was joined in his effort by Josh Cranfill who is a collector of Michael Jordan shoes. To understand the scope of Josh’s commitment, you need to watch this video.
Michael Franti auctions collectable Michael Jordan shoes to support Soles4Souls
In support of Franti’s mission to collect 100,000 pairs of shoes (which has become a tradition at most Michael Franti and Spearhead concerts) Cranfill donated all the original Air Jordans from his personal collection. These are now being auctioned off by Soles4Souls to raise funds and provide more shoes for people in need.
May we all find such great generosity within our hearts. And may we all follow in the footsteps of Josh Cranfill and Michael Franti and take action to help people in need.
