Christ UMC shoe drive to benefit Soles 4 Souls

Salisbury residents are invited to recycle their 'gently worn' shoes for people in need.

SALISBURY — Every 17 seconds, Soles4Souls Inc. gives away another pair of shoes to someone in need. The shoe charity has earned glowing endorsements from Hollywood stars and professional athletes, but the people that truly make the non-profit organization effective are those who clean out their closets to personally drop off their ‘gently worn’ shoes at a participating location, such as Christ Church.

For a limited time, Soles4Souls and Christ United Methodist Church will be collecting your gently worn footwear and/or donations to ship the shoes to a person in need, whether they are victims of a natural disaster or subject to living in extreme poverty. It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unused shoes lying in their closets. The charity can use each and every one of these pairs to make a tangible difference in someone's life.

“We can use the shoes taking up space in your closet to change the world one pair at a time,” Elsey said. “We need our partners in Christ Church to 'STEP UP' and get behind our call for action. It’s one of the most simple yet profound gifts you can make, because it will greatly improve someone’s life in the most difficult of times,” he said.