Members of Snuggled in Hope Quilts are pictured with shoes donated at the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Gilead. From left to right are Kyle Huvler, Alice Hackworth, Kim Porter and Penny Reeve.
Alberta Stojkovic | AIM Media Midwest
Snuggled in Hope Quilts is asking the community to start gathering shoes which no longer fit, won’t be worn again or are not needed.
Donating these unwanted shoes can help Snuggled in Hope Quilts raise funds for needed sewing supplies, and the project also helps the planet and small business people who can sell the shoes.
There will be drop-off boxes at First Presbyterian Church in Mount Gilead, where the monthly Omelet Breakfast is served on Saturday, March 23, and Saturday, April 27. A collection will also take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Monday, April 1.
Dayspring Wesleyan Church in Marion will also have a drop-off at entrance D on Thursday, March 14, and Thursday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Quilter Kim Porter said the shoes, boots, slippers, or sandals can be new, used or gently worn. All styles and sizes can be accepted. The organization collecting the shoes is Funds2orgs, which accepts all gently worn, used, and new shoes, sneakers and even cleats. However, some are not accepted. They are single or mismatched shoes, ice skates, roller blades and roller skates, wet or moldy shoes, or shoes with tears or holes.
The organization provides employment opportunities here in the United States and also for micro-enterprises around the world. Most items that are shipped to developing nations from North America are sold in local markets. However, the shoes that are not sold are used to make and fix products or create something new. Some of those new products can be items such as insulation for homes and stuffing for car seats or furniture.
Funds the Snuggled in Hope organization gets from the project will be used for the quilts they make for the seriously ill children and their families at Flying Horse Farms. Porter added that collecting these unused and unwanted shoes will help keep shoes out of landfills. She said over 600 million shoes are disposed of in landfills across the country every year, and it can take more than 80 years for them to decompose completely.
For more information about Snuggled in Hope or this project, contact the group at [email protected]. The First Presbyterian Church is at 55 N. Cherry St. in Mount Gilead.
Alberta Stojkovic is a correspondent for The Morrow County Sentinel.
