A homeless shelter in Portland, US, pulled off a miracle just days before Christmas, raising more than $50,800 (C$67,390) after auctioning off rare sneakers found in its box for donations earlier this year .
The gold Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers were donated to the Portland Rescue Mission animal shelter last April and were found in a trash can along with other donations, The Washington Post reported Friday.
The shoes are identical to those designed and worn by American director Spike Lee in 2019.
Not knowing what to do with them and whether they were real, the shelter's human resources manager, Erin Holcomb, ultimately decided to have them authenticated at a special shoe store, which confirmed their value.
“I never thought they were real shoes,” she told American media.
The shoes were eventually auctioned off at Sotheby's, which estimated their value at $15,000 to $20,000. They finally rose to $50,800 on Monday.
“I'm so glad we were able to use it to help more people,” said Ms. Holcomb, who plans to use the money to help people experiencing homelessness.
However, the generous donor remained a secret; director Spike Lee had assured the Washington Post that it was not his sneakers.