Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Stan's fit for your Feet


Add Jim Sajdack, the owner of Stan's Fit for Your Feet, to the list of those in the footwear industry who want to do more than just sell shoes. He wants to give them away. Affected by the images he saw from Hurricane Katrina, Sajdack felt compelled to help in the department in which he knows best: shoes.
So Jim Sajdack called on the help of Soles4Souls and he and the community of Greenfield helped over 5,000 people with new and gently used shoes he started collecting at his three stores in Brookfield, Glendale and Greenfield.
"This was a great opportunity to help the nation and the world." Sajdack said. "This is such an essential piece of clothing, to work, to function. It's just so essential."
As it turned out, he had plenty of support. A classroom at a parochial school in Mequon decided to help by collecting 380 pairs of shoes. One person brought in 50 pairs of shoes while others trickled into the store with one and two pairs they found in their closet.
"It was a win-win for everyone and it was gratifying to see the response people had for this cause," he said. Collected on April 6, the shoes were boxed and put into a shipping container that will be sent to Tanzania, where they will be distributed to people suffering from AIDS.
Even though the shoe drive has officially ended, Sajdack said he still gets voicemails from people asking if they can donate.
"Sure, I tell them, we'll do this again next year and make it an annual thing."

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