Harvest912 Inc

Harvest912 Provides Life-Changing Foot Care, One Sole at a Time 

Harvest912 is an organization that provides accessible, no-cost foot care and new shoes to those impacted by homelessness or economic disenfranchisement. Harvest912’s foot clinics are held monthly at various locations in and around Erie, such as St. Patrick’s Haven and Emmaus Soup Kitchen. 

“I wish you could have seen the looks on the faces of the men as the volunteers gently and carefully washed their feet. As each man was fitted with boots, you could feel the relief that he had boots on his feet that not only were new but were fitted especially for him! The atmosphere in the building was spirit-filled and joyous. Each day when on the streets, people walk by our guests as if they weren’t there. No one speaks with them or even makes eye contact. Last night, Harvest912 didn’t just care for feet, they cared for souls. Our guests felt like they mattered. You lifted spirits and fed souls.” Betsy Wiest, St. Patrick’s Haven, 9/29/2021 

“The work of Harvest 912 is one-of-a-kind, so to partner with them for this clinic was a blessing for our guests. Harvest 912 and its team of volunteers went above and beyond offering their time and love to our city’s poor.” Rita Scrimenti, Emmaus Soup Kitchen, 5/16/22 

Harvest912’s story began “…one afternoon, as we [Kit and Tad] were driving to the store and noticed a homeless man asking for help. We immediately wanted to help him, but neither one of us had any cash on us…Then we looked a bit closer and, just as the light changed, we noticed that he only had one shoe and was limping…As we turned the corner, I asked ‘Can we just buy him some shoes and bring them back?’ Tad answered ‘Of course…and some socks.’ But what size shoes should we purchase? We had only seen him for 30 seconds from 50 feet away, so we didn’t have any idea. As we stood in front of the stacks of sturdy boots, debating, a voice told Tad, ‘9 ½!’ We got the boots and other items…hoping he would still be there. At the light, we were several cars back, so I hopped out and walked up to him and said, ‘Hey, bud…we noticed you were in need of some shoes, so we brought you some.’ He turned, looked at the box and said, ‘That’s the right size! God Bless you!’ and immediately sat down to put them on. The last thing we saw as we drove away was this man sitting by the side of the road with his back to the traffic, looking like a kid on Christmas morning.”

It is that sort of faith and intuition that allowed Kit and Tad to build the Harvest 912 organization from nothing but that encounter. Two years later, Harvest912 has held clinics at more than a dozen locations and has provided foot care, footwear and spiritual outreach to more than 200 guests. 

Last year, with the partnership of Hamot Health Foundation and Erie Community Foundation, as well as countless individual donors, Harvest912 was able to purchase and design a mobile foot care bus, fully equipped to put their mission into action. The bus is complete with two podiatry medical exam stations, foot-washing sinks, medical equipment, and care supplies. Each guest participating in clinics not only receive foot care, but receive a new pair of shoes/boots (depending on season) and backpacks stocked with socks, blankets, hygiene supplies and other basic needs.

Like Emmaus’ motto: Bread for the body—Care for the soul, Harvest 912’s mission similarly includes both physical and spiritual nourishment: to deliver foot care, new boots, necessities, and the love of God to those in need. “We feel blessed to be able to offer what we can,” said Kit Voos.