Attention anyone with a closet: Those shoes you no longer want are desperately needed to fight the human tragedy of global poverty, says members of the Laguna Beach High School Soles Club, which launched and completed a third drive to collect shoes to help the poor.
The shoes they collected were delivered to Soles4Souls, based in Nashville, Tenn., an anti-poverty organization that fights poverty by distributing shoes and clothing.
Founded in 2006, the organization has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries, says its website.
“The Laguna Beach High School Soles Club is supporting Soles4Souls because it is the definition of a social enterprise where solid business practices are used to create positive change in people’s lives,” says a statement from students Emily Addis and Brooke Bunn. “LBHS Soles Club is a strong supporter of Soles4Souls’ anti-poverty mission, and we hope to take a big step in providing the organization with the used shoes they require to keep making a difference for people in need.”
Most of the reusable shoes will be distributed to micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti and other poor nations, the Soles4Souls website explains. The resulting revenue will help fund the free distribution of new shoes in the U.S. and overseas.
“The simple truth is that almost anyone with a closet has shoes they don’t wear, or an old pair that will just end up in a landfill,” says Emily. “Give those to us, and know that you are taking a step to making the world a better place for all of us.”
The club looks forward to doubling their shoe donations next year, she says.
Visit www.soles4souls.org for more information.
