We take shoes and boots for granted; some people have dozens of pairs of footwear, some have hundreds.
The Riverton Rotary is hoping you can part with some of those unused shoes and boots in its annual “Scoot those old Boots shoe drive.”
The drive opened July 1.
Gently worn, used shoes and new ones as well can be dropped off at locations around Riverton. There will be a drop box at Riverton City Hall, but you can take your footwear to other community events as well, such as Day in the Park.
The Rotary Club generates revenue based on how heavy the total collection of shoes is. These shoes will be cleaned, disinfected and sent to Third World destinations. You might find your old Nike’s worn by a youngster in Botswana or Haiti if you tracked them.
“It’s a unique fundraiser,” fundraising chairperson Marcia McBeath said. “It doesn’t cost you anything, just clear out those shoes you never wear in your closet and help a greater cause.”
The Rotary Club has lofty goals, hoping to gather 2500 pairs of shoes to send the vendors in Third World countries who will distribute or sell the shoes at greatly discounted prices to needy people.
Nationally, Rotary Clubs raised more than $11 million through 18,151 independent shoe drives. This represents 32 million shoes that didn’t fill a local landfill.
The goals of the shoe drive are clear for Rotary Clubs across the nation. No out-of-pocket expenditure for the local Rotary Club, a kid-friendly program, keeping shoes out of landfills, aiding micro-enterprises in developing countries and no need to buy or sell anything in the process.
The Riverton Rotary Club is an active organization within the community that takes on a wide variety of projects.
In recent actions, the Rotary has worked over 600 hours in community service project. They’ donate over $8,000 to local organizations and projects. They awarded seven college scholarships to area youth, and they’ve distributed 284 dictionaries to local students.
Additionally, they’ve organized community clean up days, food drives, meal prep and delivery to various groups.
“This shoe project is a triple win,” McBeath said. “People get to clean out their closets, we support startup companies internationally with a hand up, not a handout, and we well be bringing money back to our community.”
Take the time to clean out your old, unused footwear and help a worthy cause.