Cruising down Redondo Blvd at Pico Blvd, I felt the hot wind in my face. My windows were down and it was another blistering day in LA. It was around 4:30pm when I noticed a guy pushing a shopping cart. His cart was the size of a Smart Car overloaded with 12 bags of cans. Pulling my car over at the recycle center, I watched him for a while undecided about approaching him since he was busy and so involved. After a few minutes I decided to get his story. He said his name was Andrew as his wife Shanika eyed me suspiciously from the side. Andrew told me he spends most of his time collecting cans for 8-10 hours a day.
“I’m waiting on my checks, I don’t do bad shit so I have to do this for now.” He said. Shanika, feeling safer, finally walked up and joined us. Andrew had on a pair of Nike running shoes that were dirty and worn down from years of collecting cans. Shanika just a pair of flip flops. I told them about my project Hav A Sole and that I would like to help them out. When I asked their sizes, I discovered he was a 11 and she was an 8. I went to my car to check, knowing that I had limited donations for women. Coincidentally, the only pair of women’s shoes that was an 8, but in that moment I knew that things were happening for a reason.
