Look at you, Snazzy.
What's up.
I love the guy that gives away sneakers,
coming out in some boots.
There you go.
Yeah.
Love it.
So here's the deal, guys.
I met Andre very recently.
You know, as everybody is doing these days,
they're going through their closets.
Going through their different items
and they're seeing what sparked some joy, right?
So I have a lot of sneakers.
I've acquired a lot of sneakers in my day,
over the past few years.
And I was like, I don't need all these.
Someone else needs some of these.
Someone's got things that have never
been worn, or barely worn, and so I
started getting on the old internet machine, there.
And I come across this gentleman right here.
His organization, It's From The Sole--
S-O-L-E. And I gave him nine garbage bags full of sneakers,
about 100 pairs.
Definitely.
I know, right?
Yeah.
I don't say it for that purpose, but I always say--
to let you know.
You take it away here, and tell people what you
do with those sneakers, please.
So basically It's From The Sole Organization.
One day I was playing basketball in New York City.
I saw a guy walking to a gate, limping.
And when they gate opened the guy had no shoes and socks on.
I wear size 12.
I ran up to the guy and said, can I give you
a good pair of sneakers.
He said, leave me alone, I'm not interested.
I said, please, please.
He said, I don't have any money.
I said, I don't want your money.
I just want to know would you try
these sneakers that I have on.
I said, what size shoe do you wear?
If he told me his direct size, I would have left him alone.
But he said, the last time he remember, he wears size 10.
I'm like, what do you mean the last time you remember.
He said, I just haven't had a good pair
of shoes in a long time.
I wear a size 12, which should be two sizes bigger than him.
I begged him, and he put his foot in the sneaker
and when I touched the tip of the shoe,
his toe was right there.
So that means his feet were swollen in two size is bigger
than it usually would be.
So what I started doing was walking around New York City
with a suitcase of 30 sneakers.
From men 7, which is a woman's 9, all the way to 14,
15s, and started giving sneakers away.
I started asking my friends and family for their sneakers,
and I started sending you videos and pictures
of who I gave you sneakers too.
It would move me and make you feel like you've
helped the less fortunate.
Absolutely.
And that's what I've been doing now for six years.
How many sneakers-- Yeah.
Absolutely.
[CHEERING AND APPLAUSE]
At this point, so it's 2012, so here we are 2019.
I mean, how many sneakers have you given away?
So from June 18, 2012, till today,
It's From The Sole has given more than 25,000 sneakers.
[APPLAUSE]
Yeah.
And nine-- Thank, you.
In nine different countries and 23 states around America,
we have provided for people who need and not people who want.
That's right, that's right.
It's amazing.
Now, I've gone out with you a couple of times.
I mean, it's no joke.
It's like walking around the celebrity.
He rolls up with this beat up suitcase,
cracks it open, like a black dude in Manhattan.
Like, where it's like, wait a minute.
What's going on here?
Are we selling sneakers?
All the cops, like at Port Authority.
Everybody knows you.
It's like, Andre, you just got to take it, squeeze it
over there, stay out of the flow.
And then people just come up to you.
You remember everybody, man.
I've seen you make contact with someone
that you saw two years ago, just last time we went out.
And the guy's like, hey you remember me?
You're like, yeah man, I remember you.
Yeah, Chinatown.
With the-- at the 7-eleven.
And he's like, yeah.
He's as flummoxed because so often these people feel
unseen, unheard, uncared for.
You make them seen.
You feel them.
And then you provide them.
You know, I was handing out socks.
You had all the shoes.
Sock patrol.
I was on sock patrol.
Yeah.
And our buddy, Ron, was handing out a little flyer.
If anybody came up, going is he selling sneakers.
He goes no, this what we're doing.
We had a little flyer out so that people
would know where to find you, know where to donate.
And if people do want to donate sneakers what do they do?
Well we tell people to go to our website,
ItsFromTheSole.org and sole is S-O-L-E.
There's a guideline of different ways that you can provide
to this organization, so we can continue domestically
and internationally providing for less fortunate people.
Yeah.
You just came back from home.
From Barbados.
Yeah I was on vacation in Barbados
and the manager of this show, Sarah, called me.
She's like, you need to go to the airport right now.
Yeah.
TV waits for no one.
Yeah.
I was like, what do you mean.
She's like, you need to get to LA.
We want you on the show and we want
you to be able to tell the world what you do in the community.
Yeah.
Well, Ellen knew you were here, and so she
wanted to gift you with Ed by Ellen shoes.
That she's worn on the show.
Oh, that's love.
She's going to give you that.
That's great.
Absolutely.
Also, we have another gift for Andre
which we'll give him when we come back.
So stick around we'll be right back.
[APPLAUSE]
We're back with Andre McDonald from It's From The Sole.
Tell me.
What is the ultimate goal for you, from It's From The Sole.
Well, the ultimate goal is to teach people how enjoyable it
is to give back.
Yeah.
Everybody, go into your closet.
Everyone has something in their closet
that you know you're not going to wear anymore.
And then also, just being able to do this full time.
You know, I do have a 9:00 to 5:00.
Yes, you do.
I just just want to travel and teach people how to provide.
I want people to see our logo, the It's From The Sole logo,
and say that's a giving organization.
Yeah, they certainly are.
They already know that in Manhattan.
Definitely.
New York.
I've seen it with my own two eyes.
It's amazing.
Well, Ellen has some very good friends at Shutterfly
and they love what you're doing.
And they love that you're helping people and providing
for the less fortunate all over the world.
So they want to give you this check for $10,000.
Yo!
(LAUGHING)
[CHEERING]
I love you, bro.
I love you too.
So great.
Love you, man.
You can go to Ellen's website to find out
how you can donate and support It's From The Sole.
[CHEERING]