Sweetfeet is a community-outreach organization in Denver, Colorado. The group distributes new shoes to low-income children to keep them away from crime, help them develop personal responsibility, and engage in life and career development. ^{1  2}

Founding and History

Sweetfeet was founded by Arzelle “Shoeman” Lewis in 2017. He recounted an incident from his childhood where his old and dilapidated shoes prompted him to begin selling drugs to try and make money for new and stylish shoes. He was accosted by adult drug dealers who were surprised and demanded to know what he was doing selling drugs at such a young age. One dealer gave him the money to purchase new shoes and in turn stop selling drugs. Lewis views the Sweetfeet project as a way of paying the good deed forward to both provide shoes to low-income children and to reach out to them with educational programs for business and entrepreneurship skills. ^{1  3}

As of December of 2025, Sweetfeet claims to have distributed 20,420 new shoes with an estimated retail value of over $2.7 million over its existence. This figure may be out of date, as Lewis claimed in a social media post dating from September 2024 that he had distributed shoes to 22,200 children. ^{1  4}

Financials

For 2024 Sweetfeet reported $84,000 in revenue, of which the entire amount is attributed to rental income, with no contributions listed. However, the lack of reported contributions appears to be at odds with Lewis’ social media posts, one of which having claimed that “Sweetfeet has just closed a groundbreaking deal with one of the top 10 corporations in the world” in October 2024, and a post from November 2024 where Lewis is pictured with the rapper Kendrick Lamar with the caption “S/O to my guy Kendrick for the donation to help the kids.” ^{5  6  7}

It listed $157,710 in expenses, of which $90,000 were for management fees for non-employees, and an additional $67,310 in other expenses simply listed as being allocated for “providing services to our community.” It ended the year with a net loss of $73,710, yet at the same time its net assets increased from $28,105 to $105,000. ⁸

Organization Philosophy

Sweetfeet does not have a political orientation. Children who receive shoes need to agree to the “ShoeKid Contract” where they pledge to take care of their personal hygiene, make their bed and clean their room, be a positive role model, and work hard in school with a “growth,” rather than “fixed,” mindset. ²

Projects and Initiatives

Sweetfeet’s main project is the distribution of new stylish shoes to children in the Denver area. The shoes ostensibly serve as a means of outreach to promote healthy habits among children and to avoid their becoming involved in the drug trade. The organization also has a paid internship program for teenagers that aims to teach them business and life skills. At the conclusion of the project, participants are supposed to have established their own LLC with prototype product lines. ^{1   9}

Leadership

Arzelle “Shoeman” Lewis is the founder and as of 2025 was the “non-compensated” manager of Sweetfeet. Lewis founded the group in 2017 in response to an incident in his childhood where he began dealing drugs when he was only 12 years old to buy new shoes. Lewis is also the founder of BAC Magazine, which he launched in 2016. ^{10  3}

1. “About Us.” Sweetfeet. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://sweetfeetgives.com/about-us/.
2. “Sweetfeet.” Sweetfeet. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://sweetfeetgives.com/?
3. Colorado Man on a Mission to Give Away 1 Million Shoes to Kids in Need. 9NEWS, 2020. 2:19. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9k_03yzHBg.
4. Lewis, Arzelle. “Despite Facing Numerous Challenges And…” Facebook. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/arzelle.lewis/posts/pfbid023RgifeuJsJdE8QjqX93qq5MvBrUMyWYyJkYSrSqGrsoWoMVWrNwng9TaEnas4zJml. 
5. Sweetfeet. Return from an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990). 2024, Part I. 
6. Lewis, Arzelle. “We’re beyond Excited to Announce That…” Facebook. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/arzelle.lewis/posts/pfbid0nCHTj3DFSsmMm39z8FvWSQZhF79drh4nKYw4YmP57zLAfRHKbY4CdYVdJ7Bx5kTFl. 
7. Lewis, Arzelle. “S/O to My Guy Kendrick for the Donation To…” Facebook. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.facebook.com/arzelle.lewis/posts/pfbid02mFZzuWq6jxry8PwFFibyt7XkzwFbfAn3dbcMpvz4XsFRWypSqC2xzVMRqVtkgsAZl. 
8. Sweetfeet. Return from an organization exempt from taxation (Form 990). 2024, Part I,IX, X.
9. “Internship.” Sweetfeet. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://sweetfeetgives.com/internship/. 
10. “Arzelle Shoeman L.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 8, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/arzelle-shoeman-l-b6888934/.