Church Group Organizing Shoe Drive

A television commercial prompted Vicki Pemberton to think about people who have less than they need.

"The commercial was about Soles4Souls giving shoes to disaster victims or people living in extreme poverty," Pemberton said.

She took the idea to her women's group at Memorial Baptist Church.

They have organized a local shoe drive collection throughout the month of July. People are encouraged to donate new or gently used shoes and all sizes are accepted.

"We've had donations ranging from flip flops to snow boots," Pemberton said. "We've had a pretty good turnout so far."

A collection box is outside Memorial Baptist Church on state Highway 48 for people to drop off donations at their convenience.

"You know, people take for granted what we have. There are millions of people who do not have even one pair," said Pemberton, who urged local residents to clean out their closets and give barely worn shoes.

Shoes and boots donated by Clarksville neighbors will be distributed across the United States in homeless shelters, inner-city hospitals, domestic abuse shelters and summer camps for disadvantaged children.

"This is the first time our church group has done a large collection like this," Pemberton said. "But I know I have a lot more shoes than I really need, and many of them I don't even wear anymore.

"I bet there are a lot of people out there like me," she added. "We can help."