Soles 4 Souls is a non-profit organization that collects donations of new and “gently” worn shoes and distributes them to people in need in the United States and abroad. Soles 4 Souls specializes in disaster relief efforts. In fact, the organization was founded after the CEO privately decided to organize footwear donations to victims of the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and later Hurricane Katrina in the United States.
Donating shoes to Soles 4 Souls is easy. Check out the organization’
Soles 4 Souls donates shoes to people in need both domestically and internationally.
Domestically, Soles 4 Souls distributes shoes to people in the Appalachian Mountain Region. The most common recipients of these shoes are children who do not own adequate footwear to wear to school. Soles 4 Souls also donates shoes to summer camps for abused or neglected children, shelters for women who are victims of domestic abuse as well as homeless shelters. Navajo and Hopi reservations in the United States often have members of the population of all ages who are sorely in need of a decent pair of shoes that fit. Finally, Soles for Souls donates shoes to patients in Inner City Hospitals in Birmingham, Nashville and Kansas City. Often patients who are victims of trauma find that they no longer have any shoes on which to walk out of the hospital!
Internationally, Soles 4 Souls sends shoes to vulnerable populations. A large percentage of the donated shoes go to people who work in landfills. Many of these workers do not own a pair of shoes and therefore spend all day working in the landfill while barefoot. Orphans and village women are also identified as two particularly vulnerable populations. Women in villages often walk long distances and perform difficult tasks of manual labor without any shoes to protect their feet.
Whether you donate to Soles 4 Souls or another charitable organization, giving shoes to a person in need is an important gift. Shoes are more than just a piece of clothing; they are a tool that can change the health and productivity of a person’s life.
Jane Barron works for OddShoeFinder.com,a free online website that helps people find mismatched footwear.Get more information on deformed feet, corrective shoes or foot length difference .
