A Little Kindness, the Perfect Fit: School Shoes Donated in January Finally Find Their Owner

Photo Credit: Fill A Tummy via Facebook

A pair of school shoes donated back in January for a school drive waited months in a cupboard until the exact day a student in need bravely asked for help, finding her perfect fit just when she needed it most!

Pretoria, South Africa (06 November 2026) – Earlier in the year, Fill A Tummy founder and educator Simoné van Niekerk received a donation of brand-new size 4 school shoes as part of her charity’s school shoe and stationery drive. At the time, however, she didn’t have a student who needed that size, so the shoes ended up safely in her cupboard.

Many months later, in a touching, unexpected moment, a student walked into her class and asked if Simoné might have a pair of size 4 shoes to spare.

“She told me that even second-hand shoes would be perfectly fine,” Simoné shares.

“Then she showed me the shoes she was wearing. The soles were completely gone, and this morning, while walking to school, her shoes had finally given in.”

Deeply moved by the student’s situation, Simoné immediately remembered the brand-new pair of shoes she had tucked away in January.

And on 28 October, those shoes finally found their owner!

The beauty of giving often reveals itself in the most unexpected and heartwarming ways. A child who had spent weeks walking in worn-out shoes bravely asked for help, only to find the exact pair she needed had long been waiting for her.

“To the people who donated during our school drive in January, thank you. You may have forgotten about that donation long ago, but today, it made a real difference in one girl’s life,” says a grateful Simoné.

As the dedicated teacher and philanthropist eloquently put it, sometimes, a donation doesn’t find its purpose immediately. Sometimes, it simply waits for the right moment. The 28th of October was that moment.

And the kindness hasn’t stopped there. More recently, learners at Gereformeerde Skool Dirk Postma supported Fill A Tummy by collecting pre-loved shoes for the families the charity supports.

Learners, teachers and families all contributed, gathering a wonderful 109 pairs of shoes!

“For many of us, having shoes is something we take for granted. For someone else, receiving a proper pair of shoes can mean the world,” Simone says.

Simoné thanked everyone who donated to the drive, reminding them how much a community can do when people come together to make someone else’s life a little better.

From one pair waiting in a cupboard to 109 pairs collected by a caring school community, this story shows how a little kindness can help someone take their next step.