Annual No Bare Soles progam helps families in need

Caring For Others, Inc.’s (CFO) annual “No Bare Soles” campaign returns to provide brand new shoes to Atlanta families and children in need. Now in its fifth year, the event will take place on Saturday March, 14, 2015 at CFO’s headquarters, 3537 Browns Mill Rd, Atlanta, GA 30354. The Atlanta-based human services organization helps struggling families live with dignity by providing basic necessities such as food and clothing. Event participants are not required to pre-register, but parents must bring their children’s birth certificates to qualify for shoes. Shoes will be given to qualifying families on a first come, first served basis beginning at 12:00 noon EST.

With the help of partner agencies such as K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers, Caring For Others has distributed shoes valuing more than $1.5 million to date. This year, the organization seeks to accelerate its reach and ultimately distribute 30,000 pairs of new shoes to families around the world. Target markets include areas with high densities of children living at or below the poverty line, which in most US states is a family of four with an annual income of $23,850 or less.

“It is often said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but I believe that road is much easier to travel while wearing shoes— especially if you are a child,” said Eslene Richmond-Shockley, Caring For Others, President and CEO. “As a poor girl growing up in Guyana, I know what it’s like to go without shoes. Trust me, sore bare feet are not happy feet. Providing shoes is the first of many steps to giving a voice to the faces of poverty.”

The No Bare Soles Community Challenge

From February 14th through March, 14th, CFO is asking the world to pledge “No Bare Soles” to help raises awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. A secure, dedicated site called NoBareSoles.com has been created to report progress and highlight success stories. To accept the No Bare Soles Challenge, supporters are asked to:

GIVE: Donate $10 toward the purchase of 30,000 new shoes on nobaresoles.com.

CLICK: Post a photo of your feet (shoes optional) using the hashtag #NoBareSoles and the location (i.e. #Atlanta)

SHARE: Tag 10 friends on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with a challenge to support the cause and share.

The outcome of the social media campaign will also help guide selection of future No Bare Soles shoe distributions. Residents in Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi are urged to participate, as these Southern U.S. states saw the biggest increases in the number of families living in poverty over the past decade, according to the latest Census Bureau report.

“Indeed, our goal to distribute 30,000 new shoes is a large undertaking! That is why I’m asking everyone to help by joining our efforts online. Every click, post and share furthers our mission to help a child in a real, tangible way,” Richmond-Shockley added. “Together I know we can take one step closer to eradicating the effects of poverty and restoring dignity to the least of these.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average family spends $2,000 on clothing and shoes per year. By providing new clothing and shoes, Caring For Others helps relieve the financial burden on parents, freeing them to use limited income on essentials like food and shelter. Research also supports the positive psychological benefits new shoes can provide children, by alleviating feelings of shame and humiliation associated with growing up in poverty. To volunteer or donate to the 2015 No Bare Soles shoe distribution program call 404-761-0133. For more information visit: NoBareSoles.com.

About Caring For Others, Inc.
Caring For Others, Inc. (CFO) is an international Human Services organization that seeks to eradicate poverty through feeding, educating, clothing and housing individuals and families around the world. CFO provides a continuum of both on-site services and global outreach assistance to twenty-three metro Atlanta zip codes and numerous cities and countries throughout the world; CFO also collaborates with government agencies, social service organizations and churches around the state to provide food, new clothing, furniture and other products to people in need. In recent years CFO has expanded its reach by developing partnerships with over 110 agencies in and around Georgia and the south east, south west coast and the west coast. With their assistance, CFO provides services to the economically disadvantaged in rural communities.

Since its founding in 2001, CFO also broadened its path of dignity and hope across borders and overseas, partnering and serving impoverished communities in countries such as Belize, Guyana, Nigeria, Antigua and The Philippines. Caring For Others, Inc. is located at 3537 Browns Mill Rd., Atlanta, GA 30354. For more information contact 404-761-0133; contactus@caring4others.org. Find CFO on Facebook; Twitter @caring4others1, or visit http://www.caring4others.org/.