Mary Baldwin College to Conduct Shoe Drive

Mary Baldwin college in Staunton, VA is conducting a shoe drive as part of a Haitian festival on the lower campus from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 3.

People who attend the festivities are asked to bring their own "gently worn" shoes to donate to Soles4Souls. All shoes collected will go directly to helping someone in need, whether they live around the block or across an ocean.

Soles4Souls is touring North America in a custom-wrapped RV through February, 2010 in order to increase public participation in its many programs. The Soles4Souls RV Tour includes stops in thousands of cities, including Staunton, for festivals and events such as this.

"We want to invite all people from Staunton, and the surrounding community, to clean out their closets and support the work of Soles4Souls," said Wayne Elsey, founder and CEO of the shoe charity. "It's awesome to see such high level of participation in our various events, and we want to thank our caring partners at Mary Baldwin College who are giving their community a chance to come together for a simple yet important cause," he said.

“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Soles4Souls and look forward to radio station 93.7 joining us for our event,” said MBC sophomore Melissa Elsey. “Free pedicures and massages, a water balloon dodge ball game, piñatas, and a Haitian food theme have all been planned. The event is hosted by a number of campus clubs and organizations, but we want to invite everyone in the Mary Baldwin College community. We have chosen Haiti to receive the donations of shoes collected.”

The gift of shoes does more than lift the spirits of those in desperate need. It also reduces the risk of puncture wounds, scrapes and burns to the feet, and stops hookworm infections. Also, by donating shoes to needy people, Staunton residents can greatly reduce the number of perfectly good shoes being wasted in their local landfills.