INDIANAPOLIS -- A group of Indiana athletes will depart for South America Thursday led by their coach on a mission to provide poor children with new shoes.

It's been six months since IUPUI basketball coach Ron Hunter gained national attention for hitting the floor in his bare feet, collecting more than 150,000 pairs of shoes in one night.

Since then, the donations have grown and now Hunter, along with his team, assistant coaches and several members of the Samaritan’s Feet organization are heading to Lima, Peru to deliver the shoes.

“I am excited to be a part of this incredible journey. To be able to go over and personally deliver the shoes that were raised is a blessing," Hunter said in a news release. "These children we will bless in Peru are suffering from extreme amounts of poverty and we’re going over to give them hope.

Team members gathered Wednesday night at the Holiday Inn North to pack up the thousands of pairs of shoes.

The group will depart Indianapolis Thursday night and return Aug. 4. Hunter and his players will also host basketball clinics during their trip.

More information about the Samaritan’s Feet organization can be found on their Web site.