[from wire reports, posted at Columbus News]
Brown Steps Forward to Serve as Shoe Donation Place, Too
The retail footwear store will collect shoes through the end of February as part of a worldwide mission.
By DONAVON CAMPBELL
Anyone who has ever tiptoed across gravel-covered ground -- or hot-footed it through sun-baked sand -- knows that going without shoes is often no fun.
The overwhelming problem, however, is not that occasionally people take an ill-advised jaunt across inhospitable terrain. Worldwide, there are millions of people who do not have an option.
That is why Brown Shoes Inc., a locally owned shoe store in Upper Arlington for the past 45 years, is holding a shoe collection drive throughout February.
Once the shoes are collected, said Brown Shoes owner Jeff Brown, they will be given to Nashville-based Soles4Souls. It's an organization that refurbishes used shoes and donates them to those in need.
"We decided we would partner up with them and open our doors to everybody who wants to get some shoes to us ... and we'll get them down to Nashville to Soles4Souls," said Brown.
He will sweeten the pot by giving a $10 discount on a new pair of shoes to anybody who donates.
"People can clean their wardrobes out and if they'd like to get some new shoes, they would save some money," Brown said.
Soles4Souls founder Wayne Elsey said the idea for the organization hit him while he was watching footage of the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami that killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
Elsey, who was working in the shoe industry at the time, said he saw a shoe floating among the flood waters on television when the idea struck him.
Since then, Soles4Souls has donated more than 4 million shoes to people in nearly 70 countries worldwide.
"We estimate there are 1.8 billion pairs of shoes sitting in Americans' closets," Elsey said. "What we do is we ask Americans to recycle those shoes in their closets and keep them out of landfills."
He said people might be surprised to hear that 55 percent of the shoes collected go to individuals in need right here in the United States.
"The reality is there are 300 million people around the world that don't have shoes," said Elsey.
While he is proud of the 4 million pairs of shoes already donated, the number is not nearly enough, he said.
"Our goal is to close that gap" between 4 million and 300 million, Elsey said.
Brown said he discovered Soles4Souls at a national convention. While Brown Shoes has been involved in local donations for many years, Brown said he was impressed enough to want to contribute on a larger scale.
"We think their organization is doing a great job for the footwear industry and for people in need," Brown said. "I just thought it would be a good thing to do."
The shoe drive began Feb. 6 and will run through Feb. 28, Brown said.
Shoes can be dropped off at Brown Shoes Inc., 2108 Tremont Center in Upper Arlington.
For more information on Soles4Souls, visit the Web site giveshoes.org.
"We estimate there are 1.8 billion pairs of shoes sitting in Americans' closets. What we do is we ask Americans to recycle those shoes in their closets and keep them out of landfills."
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