WESTFIELD – Westfield State University’s Circle K Club is holding a shoe drive from now until April 8 to collect sneakers, slippers, heels, and sandals. The donations will be given to Soles4Souls, a global not-for-profit institution dedicated to fighting the devastating impact and perpetuation of poverty.
Soles4Souls advances its anti-poverty mission by collecting new and used shoes and clothing and distributing the donations to people in need. Some donations are sold to carefully selected micro-enterprise organizations to support ultra-small businesses in countries like Haiti where there are virtually no jobs to generate personal income.
The drive was organized by Circle K Treasurer Rebecca Talamini ’15, who learned about the organization last year.
“I went to Nashville, Tennessee for an international conference and for one of the service projects, I worked with Soles4Souls,” Talamini said. “I learned that they were looking for colleges to put on a shoe drive to keep shoes out of landfills this year for Earth Day. The shoes are donated all over the world to those in need and I wanted Westfield State to contribute.”
Talamini hopes to collect at least 150 pairs of shoes during the month-long drive. Single shoe donations are also accepted and will be given to amputees.
Donation boxes will be on campus in the Ely Campus Center by Dunkin Donuts, the Scanlon Hall lobby, and in the Commuter Café in Wilson Hall.
The shoe drive is sponsored by Circle K, a Kiwanis-affiliated organization of university students, which promotes community service, leadership development, and fellowship.
For more information, contact Rebecca Talamini at [email protected]. To learn more about Soles4Souls, visit http://soles4souls.org/.
