An 11-year-old in Naples is on a mission to help the local homeless population — two feet at a time.
Paul Campbell has been collecting socks and other winter items for people in need since he was 7 years old. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the sixth grader’s collection drive — Paul’s Footprint — has transcended state lines just one month after his family’s move to Florida.
“It’s not a good feeling when you see people on the streets and you have everything that they don’t. It eats away at you,” Paul said. “Even though I’m only a kid and even though I’m only 11 years old, I can do a lot.”
Paul Campbell's sock drive
Since 2019, Paul’s Footprint has collected between 500 and 1,000 socks and essential items each year and donated them to a nonprofit in Pittsburgh called Socks With A Mission. This year, his goal is to collect 2,000 items, which will be donated to the Hunger and Homeless Coalition of Collier County and St. Matthew’s House, a housing and feeding ministry.
But this year’s donation requests look a little different from those of previous years as thermal underwear isn't in demand in SWFL like it is in Pennsylvania's colder months. In addition to socks, the Amazon wish list now includes flip-flops, ponchos, light jackets, underwear and sunscreen.
Paul's philanthropic journey started at age 6 during a family vacation in Hawaii when he witnessed individuals holding signs with pleas for food and money.
“You want to help them,” Paul said. “It's like, you can't do that unless you are older, and I couldn't do that. And that made me feel worse because I have everything that I need, and they don't.”
Angela Campbell, Paul's mother, said he had an immediate calling to help. “He had a very visceral reaction to the signs that he was reading,” Campbell said. “When he opened that door that he had the desire to give, I knew then that I had to walk through that door and take him. If I didn't, I was going to lose that opportunity.”
After returning home, they launched what Campbell thought would be a one-time social media drive for family and friends. But when Paul received 1,000 pairs of socks that first year, he was hooked. To date, he has collected 3,500 socks and essential items.
“Getting socks has never been so gratifying,” Paul said. “It's like Christmas day every time you get socks, to be honest.”
In January, the mother-and-son duo will be handing out some of the items during the Collier County Point-in-Time (PIT) count, an annual tally of those experiencing homelessness in the county. The count, conducted over two days, provides a snapshot that represents about 30% of the homeless population.
“I want him to see the excitement and how good you feel by giving back and helping somebody,” Campbell said. “A pair of socks to him has a very different meaning than a pair of socks to somebody who doesn't have them.”
Michael Overway, the executive director of the homeless coalitions of Lee and Collier counties, suggested Paul and his mother attend the PIT count.
“For the longest time, people have said that the faces of homelessness are hidden, that we just don't see them,” Overway said. “And to some degree, that may be true.”
“But anytime that we are willing to stand out and do things a little differently, like an 11-year-old coming to the table with what he believes is important to helping people, I think we begin to put faces to situations. We begin to put a face to homelessness.”
Overway believes it is important for Paul to hand out the items he collects rather than just drop them off at an agency.
“It solidifies the activities that you're doing are right and a just cause,” he said. “You get an opportunity to look that person directly in the eye that you're handing a warm jacket to or a pair of shoes to who may be standing in front of you without any of those things.”
At this year’s PIT count, the coalition documented 862 homeless individuals in Lee County and 703 in Collier County. But Overway believes this figure accounts for only 5-10% of the true homeless population. He said that this underreporting results in inadequate funding for agencies combating poverty and homelessness, which is why the support of people like Paul is crucial.
Paul’s impact extends beyond community outreach, however. His mother, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, said he changed her life profoundly.
“He taught me how to love unconditionally, which I did not have the ability to do before,” she said. “More importantly, he taught me that I could be loved unconditionally.”
Inspired by her own experiences, Campbell also has a passion for giving back. She has worked with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape for years, proving to be an influence on Paul’s desire to help.
“I think where I got that spark from was from seeing my mom do it so many times over and over again, do the fundraising stuff,” Paul said.
Campbell's Naples business, Liquivida Wellness Center, is another way she gives back to the community. The health and beauty shop, which opened last year, specializes in weight loss, vitamin deficiencies and staying healthy.
“Especially as women, I think that if we don't like what we see in the mirror, it's very hard for us to feel confident,” she said. “It doesn't matter what else you do, if you don't like what you see or how you're feeling, you’re going to not feel your best version of yourself.”
She said she felt a need to open the wellness center after the pandemic — when mental health issues were on the rise.
“That divide between the haves and the have-nots grew,” she said. “And I feel very strongly that where I can help close that gap with my family, where we can help close that gap together, is something that's very, very important to me.”
Kelsey Couture, the senior director of shelter and housing for St. Matthew’s House, said that Paul is an inspiration and that his actions will send a good message to other kids in the community.
“It’s the time of year where we receive a lot of presents, so I think for kiddos to give back and be thinking of those in need is just really neat,” Couture said. “But it also just teaches about life and homelessness and where our decisions can take us and where life can take us."
Couture said homelessness is the worst she has seen in her seven years at the nonprofit. “It’s so important with this little guy, Paul, doing this drive,” she said. “We really rely on the community to come alongside us and support us in our mission. We can’t do it alone.”
St. Matthew's just expanded its Campbell Lodge homeless shelter in Naples to include 24 more beds because of the long waiting list to get in. Couture said the number of families placed on that list has grown 110% since January.
Paul's donation drive launched the day after Thanksgiving and extends through the end of the year. It coincides with Hunger and Homeless Awareness Month in November, National Giving Tuesday on Nov. 28 and the holiday season.
Campbell said she would consider helping Paul turn his drive into an official nonprofit if it grows large enough. “I want him to realize this is something very special and what he's doing is very special,” she said. “Imagine how different the world could be if there were 1,000 more of him.”
Paul’s long-term goal is to increase donations every year and eventually establish a nationwide donation drive.
“I want to continue to keep doing this because it makes me feel good,” he said. “And it also makes my mom feel good that she gets to give back to other causes, and it makes me feel good to see Mom happy.”
This story was produced by Democracy Watch, a news service provided by Florida Gulf Coast University journalism students. The reporter can be reached at gwendolyn.salata@yahoo.com WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.