Three Southlake teens started a drive to collect 10,000 pairs of new or slightly worn shoes to fight global poverty.
Mateo Bryce and brothers Matt and Will Blount, all students at Carroll High School, started the drive and will give the shoes to Soles4Souls, a nonprofit that works to create long-lasting jobs and provide global relief by distributing shoes and clothing around the world.
The donated shoes will go to Soles4Souls' micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in developing nations. The micro-enterprise model provides people the ability to start small businesses by providing a constant supply of high-quality, low costing goods.
"Before we started our shoe drive, we had no idea that more than 300 million people don't own a good pair of shoes," said Mateo Bryce.
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"Something as simple as a pair of shoes has the power to transform someone's life and we are proud to partner with Soles4Souls to turn unwanted shoes into an opportunity for millions of people in the U.S. and around the world," added Matt and Will Blount.
Giving life to used shoes or unwanted shoes keeping them from being thrown away to help protect the environment. Bring your new or lightly worn shoes to Southlake Fire Station located at 600 State Street. Then drop them in the Soles4Souls shoe donation box inside the Fire Service entrance on the south side of the building.
After the shoe drive is done, the three high school students will have the opportunity to partner with a local nonprofit in their community to host a giveaway of brand new shoes, donated by Soles4Souls.
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Money made by Soles4Souls' operations funds the organization's free distribution programs. These distribution programs give relief to many developing nations around the world in times of disaster.
To host a shoe drive with Soles4Souls or to find out more information, go to soles4souls.org. Soles4Souls is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Since 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed over 40 million pairs of shoes in 129 countries.
