Local second-grader asks community to donate shoes to Soles4Souls

Press release

From Soles4Souls:

Soles4Souls, the global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty, is ramping up efforts to help individuals in need this year. Reynolds Etheridge, a 2nd grader, is getting on board to help the shoeless. Individuals can help by donating some of the 700 MILLION pairs of shoes thrown away by Americans each year. Individual pair donations will be accepted in October and November at Carolina Mountain Sales, 1550 Hendersonville Road. Companies, churches and organizations are encouraged to participate! Simply stop by Carolina Mountain Sales and pick up garbage bags donated by Ingles or use your own, and fill them with 25 pairs each. If a group collects a large enough number of bags, Two Men and A Truck has volunteered to come to your location and pick up the shoes.

By recycling your gently worn shoes with the Soles4Souls, the discarded footwear will be given a second chance at life. By being redistributed through the organization’s international micro-enterprise partners, men and women will be given the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty by earning a sustainable income.

“The first year, I collected 300 pairs of shoes. Last year with a lot of help, I collected 3,000 pairs. This year I want everyone in Asheville to get involved and help me collect 25,000 pairs to fill an 18-Wheeler Trailer!”

Soles4Souls has distributed more than 19 million pairs of shoes around the world with the help of partners like Reynolds. With 1 in every 4 adults in the world living in extreme poverty, basic necessities like shoes are simply unavailable. In developing nations like Haiti, Honduras, and Tanzania, walking is the main form of transportation, and shoes can protect a person’s feet from cuts and infections. Also, children in other parts of the world cannot attend school without a pair of shoes.

“We are excited that individuals like Reynolds are working with us to help end the perpetuation of poverty by providing used shoes and micro-jobs to individuals in other countries,” said Buddy Teaster, CEO of Soles4Souls. “Please join in this initiative to collect gently worn footwear, and possibly improve the quality of someone’s daily life. Shoes can enable someone to step out of poverty.”

For more information on how to get involved and donate, call Allyson Etheridge at (828) 450-2446, visit Facebook.com/ReynoldsShoeDrive or www.giveshoes.org.

About Soles4Souls®
Soles4Souls is a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty.  The organization advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothes from individuals, schools, faith based institutions, civic organizations and corporate partners, then distributing those shoes and clothes both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.  Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Soles4Souls is committed to the highest standards of operating and governance, and holds a four-star rating with Charity Navigator.  Please visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.