Business & Tech
Kids Footstop Helps Donate Shoes to Needy Children
With a simple donation box in his children's shoe store, Kids Footstop owner Eric Keough is helping needy children find shoes.
Eric Keough, owner of , is helping give shoes to needy children, one donation at a time. Keough recently put a donation box in his store for Soles4Souls, a non-profit organization that gives shoes to needy children.
“People come in here and buy a new pair of shoes, and they want to wear them,” Keough said. “They have these old shoes, they’re not in mint condition, but they’re in good condition. People were saying, ‘I don’t want those shoes. You can just keep the box and shoes and throw them out.’"
Keough realized he could be donating those shoes instead of throwing them away. He began researching a charity for shoe donation and came across Soles4Souls, an organization that has given away over 14 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes since 2005. The organization is currently running a celebrity challenge, as well as a drive for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
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“I called them up and they’re easy to deal with. The next day, they sent me a drop box. Once it gets filled, I call a local volunteer and they pick them up,” Keough said.
For parents and kids buying a new pair of shoes, Keough said, “it’s pretty easy. You’re going to get a pair of shoes, you’re getting rid of the old pair. You just drop them off and give away the old shoes.”
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But to sweeten the deal a bit, Keough is offering a special incentive to donate during the month of June. When customers purchase a new pair of shoes, they will receive $5 off if they also donate an old pair of gently used children’s shoes.
According to the Soles4Soles website, there are over 300 million children worldwide without shoes. Wearing shoes can prevent parasitic diseases and foot injuries, and they can also allow children to go to school in places where shoes are required as part of school uniforms.
The charity Soles4Souls was started in Nashville, TN, after founder and CEO Wayne Elsey heard about the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004 and wanted to do something to help. A year later, he was running Soles4Soles. The organization has donated shoes to over 127 countries and now estimates they give away a pair of shoes every seven seconds.
