Students collect shoes to help those in need
Photo Credit: Lizzy Bonica
Waiting for footwear in the Hamilton lobby, the Soles4Souls donation box is set-up to collect unused shoes to help those in need. Students in the local branch hope to raise 15,000 shoes by the end of October.
September 20, 2017
All it takes is a pair of shoes to change someone’s life from now through the end of October.
Glen Rock High School is lending a hand to those in need by placing Soles4Souls donation boxes in the media center and the auditorium lobby. Both boxes are three quarters of the way full with shoes.
Soles4Souls is a program that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothes around the world. The local branch’s goal is to collect 15,000 pairs of shoes before the end of October.
The free distribution of clothes helps fight diseases, allows thousands of children to attend school, and offers a sense of comfort and dignity to so many around the world. On top of this, Soles4Souls helps those affected by poverty start and sustain small businesses, through their enterprise program.
“We provide a steady stream of repurposed shoes and clothing to micro-entrepreneurs in developing nations where there are few ways to generate income,” reads the Soles4Souls information page.
Since 2006, the program has distributed over 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states.
According to Ridgewood’s Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein, “Two years ago we did this project and collected close to 14,000 pairs of shoes.”
If you wish to lend a hand, donate a non-used pair of shoes or boots to one of the donation boxes in the Hamilton Lobby.
