Tampa, Florida - A tiny boutique called "Serendipity" fits in, right in the middle of Davis Island.

But there is nothing serendipitous about the piles of shoes by the front door.

Jeanne Lavettre, "Serendipity":
"I love doing things like this. It's just so rewarding, and I wish everyone could have that feeling of 'Wow. People are amazing.'"

Every one of these shoes, some new, some worn, have been donated to children overseas.

Store owner Jeanne Lavettre got an e-mail from her cousin, John, stationed in Afghanistan.
He wrote her about the snow that falls every day, and the children in the orphanage where he volunteers.

Children who wear sandals in the cold, or who wear no shoes at all.

So she began to collect shoes from her neighbors.

Jeanne Lavettre, "Serendipity":
"We know exactly what who's handling it at the other end. It's not going through an anonymous agency and wonder what will happen to all of these. My cousin's husband is taking them to the orphanage and to the kids in the street."

And the outpouring of support from the community has been pretty incredible. Just yesterday, they shipped seven boxes of shoes to Afghanistan.

And she has turned her mission into a family affair. Her sister also rounds up shoes. She got her two children involved, who convinced their friends to donate.

Eileen Goldenberg, collecting shoes:
"Not bad. Not bad. Three full bags of shoes. Most of them great winter shoes. This is a great pair of boots. It's going to make some child very happy."

And so as they collect more shoes on the porch of that artsy boutique, they can picture a little girl who will have a pair of pink boots to wear this winter.