PEOPLE : Podiatrist Has Heart and Soles

Dr. Michael Levi, who volunteers at Venice Family Clinic, understands the connections between foot problems and poverty. To help those patients who had no shoes or socks, Levi in 1988 founded the clinic’s foot care unit. Patients, he said, “had problems that would easily be solved with the proper gear.” He sought both private and business donations, and thus far, has recycled 5,000 pairs of shoes.