Don’t throw away your old shoes—they can help feed the hungry locally and around the world. The Stomp Out Hunger Food Drive runs through October 24, and you can drop off your shoes at local college campuses. KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.
Before you toss those old sneakers in the trash, consider donating them to help people who don’t have enough to eat. Five area campuses—Missouri State University, Drury, Evangel, OTC and Southwest Baptist in Bolivar—are taking part in the Stomp Out Hunger Shoe Drive.
Shoes that are collected will be given toSole Food, a shoe collection initiative in southwest Missouri. Sole Food works in affiliation withShoeman Water Projects to turn unwanted shoes into food for those in need.
Lora Hobbs is co-founder of Sole Food and a religious studies professor at MSU.
"Those shoes are shipped overseas to people who need shoes in developing countries but then also we are compensated by the pound for the shoes that we ship, and all of that money that we are compensated goes to Friends Against Hunger to fund the Million Meals food packaging in November at the Springfield Expo Center," she said.
The Meals A Million Packathon is set for November 14, 15 and 16. Volunteers and Donations are needed.
Friends Against Hunger is a non-profit organization whose mission is to care for the poor by providing healthy meals for undernourished people in the U.S. and around the world.
Hobbs says any shoes will be accepted during the Stomp Out Hunger Drive—as long as the soles are in good shape.
"From kids to adults, high heels, cowboy boots--anything," she said.
According to Hobbs, one pair of shoes has the potential to provide four to six meals through Friends Against Hunger. A small amount of money from each pair will go to water purification systems and wells in Kenya and Haiti through the Shoeman Water Projects. And Hobbs says shoes could enable kids to get an education since they must wear them to attend school.
Stomp Out Hunger runs through October 24.
To learn more about the shoe drive, click here.
