Soles4Souls sends 25,000 pairs of shoes to flood victims
20 Jun '08
2 min read
Soles4Souls Inc, the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to those in desperate need, announced that it is sending 25,000 pairs of new shoes to victims of the recent flooding in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.
The shoes are scheduled to be delivered by June 27 in several locations throughout the three states. Soles4Souls is working with partner agency Operation Compassion to deliver the shoes quickly to people who need them most.
"We are asking our footwear partners across North America to help us reach out to victims in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana," said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls Inc.
"Unfortunately, we can never predict when natural disasters like this week's flooding in the midwest will occur. We need individuals, shoe retailers, and footwear brands to dig deep into their closets and stockrooms to help us get shoes on the feet of people to help them rebuild their communities," he said.
Dave Lorency, President of Operation Compassion, an international relief agency based in Cleveland, Tennessee, said that Soles4Souls was filling an important need for victims of the floods.
"Getting a new pair of shoes will be a huge relief to a lot of these people," he said. "Flood water ruins everything it comes into contact with, and trying to rebuild communities without decent shoes is next to impossible," Lorency said.
Lorency said that people and corporations could help most by donating shoes and cash to Soles4Souls so that his organization could continue to deliver free shoes to people in need.
"We work in places all over the world, like Romania and Indonesia, and when something like this happens in our own country, it's important that we step up and help those people with the same amount of compassion," he said. "Soles4Souls is an invaluable resource for people all over the world, including right here in the U.S."
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