Salem (MA) Store Collects Shoes for Soles4Souls

Store's shoe collection good for the sole

By Cate Lecuyer
staff writer, The Salem News

BEVERLY — Most people have extra sneakers lying around.

And most people throw them out when they clean out their closets, said Wes Lassen, manager of New England Running Company.

However, he hopes that will change. The business recently began collecting gently worn shoes. People can drop them off in a bin, and they'll go to charity.

"It's giving it to needy kids all over the world," Lassen said.

Over the years, many customers have asked if the business recycles shoes, so they decided to start, he said.

New England Running Company has partnered with Soles4Souls, a Tennessee nonprofit that donates more than 4 million pairs of shoes a year to underprivileged people in more than 70 countries.

Although New England Running specializes in sneakers, Soles4Souls welcomes any kind of shoes, from women's dress to hiking boots, said Chris Carmichael, communications director for the nonprofit. Children's athletics are in particularly high demand.

"Kids grow out of shoes so fast, and it's something we're always in need of," Carmichael said.

The organization formed after the 2004 tsunami that devastated coastal areas around the Indian Ocean and killed more than 200,000 people. Carmichael said the donations now go many different people, including victims of natural disasters, those living in extreme poverty, and women overcoming domestic violence.

"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," said founder and CEO Wayne Elsey.

Carmichael said the donations should be in good shape.

"The general rule of thumb is anything you would wear yourself," he said. But if you think they belong in the trash, send them anyway. If they're unusable, instead of throwing them out, the nonprofit grinds them up into a soft rubber and asphalt material that's used to surface playgrounds and running tracks.

Lassen estimates New England Running has collected close to 200 shoes so far and is hoping for more.

"We've filled that bin up three times in the last three weeks," he said. "The word is spreading."

Staff writer Cate Lecuyer can be reached at clecuyer@salem news.com.

Brown Shoes (retailer in Upper Arlington) hosting Shoe Drive Through February

[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."

Arlington (OH) Shoe Store Helping Needy Around the World

[from the COLUMBUS DISPATCH]

Arlington shoe store collecting soles for the needy around world

An Upper Arlington store is collecting shoes for a charity that will distribute them to needy people around the world.

Brown Shoes, 2108 Tremont Center, will offer a $10 discount through Feb. 28 to customers who bring in "gently worn" shoes for Soles4Souls, a nonprofit group based in Nashville, Tenn. The organization has given more than 4 million pairs of shoes to people in 70 countries.

Soles4Souls started after the tsunami in southern Asia in 2004, when founder Wayne Elsey rallied shoe executives to send a quarter-million shoes to affected countries. The charity collects new and used shoes.

"Our thought is that this could help the economy by driving consumers in to buy new shoes and at the same time helping people in need," said Jeff Brown, owner of Brown Shoes.