The $50,000 Treasure in the Donation Bin: A Journey of Hope

What started as a routine day at Portland Rescue Mission’s Burnside Shelter turned into a wild, months-long journey—all thanks to a pair of sneakers dropped down our donation chute.

An Unexpected Discovery

Earlier this year, James, a man in our long-term shelter program, was sorting through bins when he spotted something unusual: a pair of bright gold Air Jordans. They were in brand-new condition, tucked away at the bottom of a bin. When they reached my office, we realized they looked identical to the custom sneakers Nike designer Tinker Hatfield made for Spike Lee to wear at the 2019 Oscars.

From the Laundry Basket to Downtown Portland

Naturally, we assumed they were fakes. Why would something so rare end up in a donation bin? Still, I wanted to do my due diligence. After a few weeks of keeping them in the back of my minivan and my bedroom laundry basket, I finally visited a high-end sneaker shop in downtown Portland.

The owner’s reaction changed everything. He offered $10,000 on the spot, explaining that these weren't just fakes; they were one of only four or five pairs ever made for Spike Lee’s inner circle.

A Red-Eye to Sotheby’s

From there, the story took off. We reached out to Sotheby’s, who offered to auction the shoes with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the Mission. Then Tinker Hatfield himself got involved, donating an original design concept board and a custom box, even coming into the Mission to autograph everything. The timeline was so tight that I ended up boarding a red-eye flight to New York City on Halloween just to hand-deliver the shoes to Sotheby’s in person by their November 1st deadline.

The Final Countdown

The momentum didn't stop there. As the auction approached, the story went global, appearing in the New York Times, the Associated Press, and news outlets as far away as Japan and Brazil.

On the morning the auction closed, a group of us gathered in a conference room with James to watch the live results. The room was silent as we hit "refresh." In the final ten minutes, the bids began to skyrocket—jumping by $5,000, then $10,000. When the hammer finally fell, the shoes had sold for $50,800—more than double the original estimate. There were gasps, cheers, and more than a few tears.

The Real Treasure

While the "Gold Shoes" are a fun mystery (and no, we still don't know who the donor is!), they represent something much deeper. This story is a perfect metaphor for what we see every day at Portland Rescue Mission. Just like those shoes were overlooked at the bottom of a donation bin, so many people in our community are overlooked or discarded.

I work here because I believe every person—those struggling with homelessness, addiction, or mental health crises—is a precious treasure with God-given value. These shoes have now multiplied that value, providing the resources to help more individuals find their way home.
 

Thank you to everyone who cheered us on and celebrated this gift. We might never know the story of how those sneakers got to us, but I am so grateful for the lives that will be restored because of them.

News Coverage

• The Associated Press: https://apnews.com/article/portland-oregon-air-jordan-nike-sneakers-homeless-shelter-fd39eb136fae73dd8993398be8ae7564
• The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/us/air-jordans-portland-oregon-shelter.html
• The Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-12-15/spike-lee-custom-air-jordan-sneakers-2019-oscars-donation-bin-auction
• The Oregonian: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2023/12/mystery-surrounds-donation-of-rare-air-jordan-sneakers-to-portland-shelter.html
• Oregon Public Broadcasting (audio story): https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/13/portland-rescue-mission-strikes-gold-with-the-donation-of-a-pair-of-rare-shoes/