Fleet Feet recently donated 650 pairs of sneakers to participants in the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford summer program.

By Ronni Newton

For the third year in a row Fleet Feet donated brand new sneakers to area children, ages 6-19, attending the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford summer program, but this year the store’s owners took the philanthropic effort to a whole new level.

“Last year we donated 85 pairs of Nike, and we wanted to raise the bar this year,” said David Jacobs, who owns Fleet Feet’s West Hartford and Glastonbury stores with his wife, Fernanda. This year they donated 650 pairs of brand new sneakers to grateful recipients during an event a few weeks.

Shoes were provided by adidas, Hoka, New Balance, Nike, On, and Saucony, said Jacobs.

Socks were given out as well, generously provided by Balega and Feetures.

“They say ‘it takes a village,’ and we have a village helping us,” said Jacobs. A total of 30 volunteers from the Fleet Feet West Hartford and Glastonbury stores, as well as Glastonbury River Runners, 86Go, Boys & Girls Club, Asics, adidas, New Balance, and On, helped fitting the shoes, retrieving shoes, and recycling old shoes.

Fleet Feet’s West Hartford store has long been known as much more than a retail business – with a loyal community of runners and walkers that not only participate in store-led programs, but also support initiatives to assist charitable causes such as Footwear with Care. When they purchased the business in 2023, Dave and Fernanda Jacobs wanted to continue and even further expand the philanthropic efforts of previous owners Steph and Carrie Blozy.

Last fall, following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, they turned the weekly Wednesday night fun run into a shoe and sock donation to victims as well as a fundraiser for hurricane relief efforts.

This latest effort was a “busy and fulfilling, day, and it will do a world of good,” David Jacobs said.

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