YORK, Pa. — Leaning into an oversized crate, Rob Bernhard's hand grazed several brown and black loafers before settling on a platinum-colored flat.
Staring intensely for a few seconds, he plucked the shoe from a sea of leather and cast his eyes on the maze of shelves to his right where he would search for the flat's shiny doppelganger.
The key to finding a match is picking a shoe with some identifiable element, Bernhard said — buckles, zippers, a bright-colored sole. Whatever catches the eye.
But somewhere between wedges and sling-backs, sandals and mules, even the most unique shoes began to look the same.
"I was hoping I would have a better chance with this one," he said glaring at the dainty shoe in his hand with mock anger. "But my track record hasn't been very good today."
Bernhard's life-sized brainteaser didn't look much like a traditional charitable cause, but every pair of shoes that he and his colleagues matched Tuesday as part of the United Way of York County's annual Day of Action was money in the bank for Shadowfax in York.
For the last two years, Clarks shoes has been sending shipments of the mismatched footwear to the local nonprofit, which provides a variety of life skills and job services for the mentally disabled, said Deb Bryant, director of day supports for Shadowfax. The shoes, which have been used as samples by Clarks' salespeople across the country, arrive in large boxes separated by right and left foot.
Clarks, which used to throw the shoes away, has been paying Shadowfax for each pair matched and boxed for resale. Last year, Shadowfax raised $20,000 from the shoe fundraiser, enough to buy two new vehicles to transport clients, Bryant said.
As volunteer opportunities go, the shoe matching has been a lot of fun, said Stacy Pearl, a community relations representative for Memorial Hospital. There's no worrying about the weather, and it's a challenge, she said.
Some people have been better than others at the matching, Bryant said. Teenage girls seem to be the most successful.
But according to Corey Hudak, human resources director for the hospital, the women participating Tuesday weren't having any more luck than the men. Hudak said she was surprised by how many shoe terms the guys were throwing around.
"They're good about it," she said. "They know open back, sling back, open toes."
The sorts are for a good cause, but they've also been great for a little good-natured competition, Bernhard said, especially among the members of the group who had racked up multiple matches.
As he spoke, a co-worker bounced happily toward him holding two identical shoes.
"Hey Rob, do you think these match?" he asked with a sly smile before whisking them away. "Yeah they do!"
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