Back on their feet

Pregnant women and mothers at Heritage House in Costa Mesa got a gift that no woman can resist: shoes.

The Sole Comfort in Corona del Mar donated 150 pairs of brand new shoes to the program. The shoes are made with comfort elements for those who have medical problems with their feet, or those who stand or walk all day as part of their daily routine and need comfortable footwear.

“We are really excited,” said Lexi Larison, 23, a recovering crystal meth addict, who lives at the house with her daughter. “For the most part, we come here with nothing and we are blessed to have donations. I’m really excited. It’s nice to get a surprise like that.”

The Heritage House is a six-month residential alcohol and drug abuse recovery program that treats pregnant women or women with children.

Larison, who has a supportive family and a husband, says she is doing all she can to have a normal life after relapsing this year. She hopes to get a job that will allow her to buy her own shoes.

The new shoes were a gift from Yaleet Inc., a distributor of Naot footwear, and one of Sole Comfort’s vendors.

Karen Lazarus, Sole Comfort owner, has partnered with Yaleet to donate shoes for the past three years, but it’s her first year donating the shoes to Heritage House.

“I heard a lot about the Heritage House, and I thought they sounded like a good group that can benefit from it,” Lazarus said.

The house lets children stay with their recovering mothers, and it gives the moms an opportunity to bond with their children and build their families.

“Most people work on recovery without their children,” said Bonny Marcus, the home’s clinical director. “The goal here is to build families, and how better to build a family without your child?”

The house has room for 16 women and up to 17 children 12 and younger. The women there take turns to cook, clean and baby-sit, among other chores. They are also required to go through the 12-step recovery program and participate in groups dealing with anger management, parenting issues and career development.

Most women recovering get to the house with almost nothing, but leave with a lot, thanks to the generosity of donors like Lazarus.

“I’m moved that they thought of us,” Marcus said. “A lot of girls are wearing flip-flops, and now they will have shoes to wear during the winter. There’s so much caring in this world.”

How To Help

Contact Heritage House at (949) 646-2271 or visit it at 2212 Placentia Ave. in Costa Mesa.