Published:
Soles4Souls, the Footwear Charity, Reaches Out to Thousands of Nearby Tornado Victims
LAFAYETTE andJACKSON, Tenn., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
Soles4Souls(TM) Inc. is used to sending brand new shoes across the planet to
help people rebuild from natural disasters. This week, however, the footwear
charity doesn't have to look far to find hurting people, as the recent
tornadoes in Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Alabama killed at
least 57 people and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
"We're completely shocked and dismayed at the level of destruction caused
by these winter tornadoes," said Wayne Elsey, Soles4Souls Founder and CEO.
"These storms hit our region extremely hard and we know several people
personally who have lost everything: loved ones, their homes, cars, you name
it. We've got to do something right now, and we're sending all of our best
shoes from our warehouses for delivery on Saturday," he said.
Elsey and his team are busy coordinating the relief effort and calling on
friends and colleagues around the country to assist in the distribution of the
new shoes. They have set up two distribution points in Tennessee: Lafayette
andJackson, in order to distribute 25,000 pairs of new shoes to hurting
people. At 11:00am on Saturday, February 9, staff and volunteers from
Soles4Souls and Operation Compassion will be stationed in each city to hand
out shoes and other supplies to people cleaning up from the damage.
According to Elsey, Soles4Souls will continue to distribute new footwear
through the end of the month in Tennessee and other states. Operation
Compassion, another charity based in Tennessee, will help Soles4Souls identify
and reach victims living in other communities.
"We are asking companies and individuals to step up and help us through
this," said Elsey. "People have been very gracious when there is a disaster
overseas, and we need to respond when our own people are hurting too.
Unfortunately, we've had experience with this type of disaster before, and we
know that people need new shoes and boots when they're trying to rebuild their
communities," he said.
Soles4Souls is accepting donations online toward pairs of new shoes and is
also emptying its warehouses in Alabama, Virginia, andLas Vegas to fill the
need. Donations toward freight costs are also gladly accepted, according to
Elsey. "It may only be one pair of shoes that you can afford to ship, but
just imagine what that is like to someone who had all their belongings ripped
away from them in one horrible moment," he said. "It's our goal to help each
survivor start to put the pieces back together, and we could use your help."
More About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls(TM) facilitates the donations of both new and
used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Since its inception,
Soles4Souls has collected more than 3 million pairs (or one pair every 28
seconds) from shoe companies, retailers, and individuals. The shoes have been
distributed in more than 60 countries, includingMexico,Honduras,Romania,
Thailand, and theSudan. The charity has been featured on NBC Nightly News
with Brian Williams, ABC News, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets
aroundNorth America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS;
donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.GiveShoes.org and
www.Soles4Souls.org or call (866) 521-SHOE.
SOURCE Soles4Souls(TM) Inc.
Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze,
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