We were riding along and, without warning, yanked out of our discussion by a large and colorful RV/Bus (pictured above). We were intrigued and had to read everything printed on it to satisfy our curiosity. Before we realized it, it began to zoom away and we could not move into another lane or somehow drive over the cars ahead of us to snap a proper picture. We did the next best thing and hunted them down online.
They are Soles4Souls, a charity based in Nashville, TN. They collect shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and from people’s closets to distribute to people in need all over the world. They have delivered over $17 million pairs of shoes to over 127 countries. How amazing is that? They have aided victims of natural disasters “to give relief to victims of abject suffering.” Part of their admirable mission is to “support micro-business efforts to eradicate poverty.”
They have two other divisions –Clothes4Souls and Hope4Souls which carry the same mission. Volunteers, new and gently used shoes, clothes and other necessities are requested.
While giving to the Goodwill, the Kidney Foundation and other local and easily accessible charities is great and wonderful, be mindful of other charities and share your love! There are drop-off locations throughout many cities which can be found on their website.
We found this moving picture at soles4souls.blogspot.com. It was labeled…
“48 orphaned Haitian children and only one pair of plastic slippers. These are the feet of children who lost everything in the earthquake, including their home and their schoolhouse. Being able to put new shoes on their feet was an experience unlike any other.
It was hard to tell who was more blessed by the shoe distributions were doing: the children or the Soles4Souls team?”
Are you the founder of a charity? Do you know a great but not well-known charity? Tell us, we at WASIALife would love to hear about it.
Rebecca, it is such a pleasure to hear from you! Thank you for taking the time to visit us. We are gathering our shoes and clothes for the nearest drop-off center with hopes to assist in a greater capacity in the near future. Soles4Souls has certainly grabbed our attention here at WASIA J&L Simon, and we look forward to your continued success. We thank you for helping the world!
Hey thanks for sharing this information with your readers! Love that you came across the RV Tour on the road. Looks like its captivating photos and information are working!!
Thanks so much – and let me know if you ever want to get involved! WE’d love to have you =)
Surelygoodness, few people, including us, think of the necessity of shoes after word of a natural disaster. We are already gathering several of our shoes to contribute. It takes only one pair to make a BIG difference and we hope everyone contributes a pair. We are delighted to have learned about the organization and raise awareness of this simple way to help the world.
We thank you for taking the time to comment and we look forward to hearing from you soon!
J&L Simon
I like this write-up because I would not have associated the need for shoes after a natural disaster. Now that I think about it, the need is important and overlooked. Thank you for this piece.