Saratoga News

Mintz takes shoes to the poor

By Deanna Wulff

For those of us with closets full of shoes, it may be time to kick the habit. Arthur Mintz, a local photographer, and his wife, Marjorie, are collecting shoes for poor children in Venezuela.

"Children get 90 percent of their diseases through their feet," Mintz said. "We feel for the kids. It's going to take 100 years these people to change into a healthy living, but the shoes are one step."

Mintz, 67, has visited Venezuela annually for the past seven years, taking pictures of the poor children that a missionary group helps clothe and feed.

Each year, Mintz and his wife spend 10 days in Venezuela with a missionary group. They stop along riversides, helping people deal with family problems, violence and health. "My husband takes pictures to show local churches what the missionaries are doing," Marjorie Mintz said.

Arthur Mintz was inspired by Dr. Katushka Moreno to bring something for them when he returns this February. Moreno lives in Venezuela and brings modern health practices to the indigenous poor. "I think she is a very dedicated woman. She is selfless. There is no way people can repay her," Arthur Mintz said.

From their travels abroad, the Mintzes have learned to appreciate the wealth of the United States. "The Venezuelans would love to come to the U.S. I [once] made the mistake of saying I would love to take a kid home," Mintz said. "And his mother was ready to pack the kid's bags. She misunderstood my compliment."

When Mintz isn't traveling, he spends the majority of his time taking photos of local families. He has been a photographer for 52 years.

"I like photography because it is a way of expressing emotions and feelings," he said. "We do a high-end portrait business, with our own printing and our own film developing."

He does one-third of his business during the holidays, so he is particularly busy during December. In the future, he plans to continue both his visits to Venezuela and his practice in Saratoga. "I have no plans for retirement," Mintz said. "I'll stay healthier if I work, and I want to train my children in photography."

He has five children and 15 grandchildren. Some of them have also done missionary work abroad. "Two of my daughters went to the Philippines when they were in college. When they came back, they were different girls," he said. "They came back mature enough to recognize what they have, and they aren't going to waste it. Over there, when people go to the hospital, there is no hope. They go to die."

Mintz is collecting tennis shoes, hiking boots, leather shoes and girls' dress shoes. For more information, contact Arthur Mintz, 867-4077.