The Fanwood Green Team held a highly successful shoe drive in the spring in collaboration with the Soles4Souls program. Over 420 pairs of shoes were collected at three drop-off locations – Charles Studio, Fanwood Eye Care, and the Goddard School.
“I would consider the shoe drive quite successful,” said Laura Lang of the Fanwood Green Team, who took the lead along with her 15-year-old son, Luke, in the Green Team’s collection initiatives. “Originally, I researched another shoe collection organization, but realized upon further investigation they were for profit and didn’t align with our (Green Team’s) mission. We agreed as a team that Soles4Souls would better align with our goals to support those in need as well as reduce waste in landfills.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of collection, but was hoping for a few hundred pairs. All three drop off spots had consistent collections. Charles Studio and Fanwood Eye Care would have garbage bags filled with shoes that needed to be collected quite often,” she said.
Shoes donated to Soles4Souls provide relief through shoe distribution to those in need and create jobs in developing countries through our micro-enterprise program, according to the Soles4Souls mission statement.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of collection, but was hoping for a few hundred pairs. All three drop off spots had consistent collections. Charles Studio and Fanwood Eye Care would have garbage bags filled with shoes that needed to be collected quite often.”
Lang said all three drop off sites were excited to support the endeavor.
“I made multiple trips to a Soles4Souls contact in Flemington as well visiting his storage unit in Branchburg where the shoes were ultimately sent to Soles4Souls for distribution,” she said.
