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Michelle Garr, the founder of Slippers For Mom, looked at the donated slippers at her home in Novi on Thursday, December 2.

Author: Brian Wells | New Note | Released on December 9, 2021

NOVI-For many years, Michel Gal would buy slippers for her mother as a Christmas gift. It started as a gimmick gift, sometimes hidden in a big box or hidden until all other gifts were opened.

But after her mother died in 2013, she struggled because she could not inherit the same tradition.

At the time, Gal was working in a hospital in Livonia. A friend suggested that she buy and donate a few pairs of slippers. That year, she donated 55 pairs of slippers to two different organizations.

Her organization Slippers For Mom, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is now in its ninth year and is expected to donate 600 to 700 pairs of slippers to 13 different organizations.

Gal said: "It's really a way to help me grieve, and then it's really to commemorate my mother and her memory and the traditions we have." "But it really grew to give back to the community and really help People in need."

Garr bought slippers using funds raised through fundraising and donations. Then donate them to organizations such as homeless shelters and women's shelters across the state.

She said that Gal focused on donating slippers because it was a niche business. Many shelters have received donations of toys and socks, but not many people donated slippers. Although some shelters will receive a large number of donated slippers, she worked with some shelters to determine how many people live there and their sizes, and then worked hard to match them with a pair of slippers.

"I did this to really satisfy my needs, such as remembering all those memories and giving my mother slippers on Christmas morning," Gal said. "Now turn it into and see how many people are affected by giving them a pair of comfortable slippers."

Although Garr accepts donations throughout the year, she said that the biggest donation season is November and December because slippers are easier to buy in stores. She delivered slippers in early December. Last year, she chose a women’s shelter and made a small donation around Mother’s Day, which she said she plans to continue to do this year.

Information on how to donate can be found on her website www.slippersformom.org.

"(For) $10, you can buy a pair of slippers," Gal said. "This is just a small act of kindness that can have a huge impact as a whole."

Contact Brian Wells​​ (586) 498-1081, (248) 291-7637 or bwells@candgnews.com.

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