Chatham Helps Wear Out Poverty With Soles4Souls

(Chatham, NJ) Over 400 pairs of shoes have been donated during the February Shoe Drive for Soles4Souls. Hosted by Scooch A Mi Boutique & Gallery, the Shoe Drive encourages the community to unclutter closets and donate the unwanted, gently used shoes to help those in need. The drive continues until February 28, 2018.

– One person’s unwanted shoes can help provide meaningful opportunities that many in developing nations need, which is why Scooch A Mi Boutique launched a shoe drive to collect new or gently used shoes.

The shoes that Scooch A Mi collected will be delivered to Soles4Souls–a non-profit social enterprise that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Founded in 2006, the organization has distributed more than 30 million pairs of new and used shoes in 127 countries.

Ellen Eppie, Founder of Scooch A Mi and a strong supporter of the Soles4Souls’ mission, said, “To know that we can create meaningful impact around the globe by simply collecting unused shoes and donating what is otherwise destined for the landfill is a really great feeling.”

The World Bank estimates that approximately 900 million people, 400 million of which are children, live on less than $1.90 per day. Millions of these children don’t have access to adequate footwear resulting in significant ramifications for their health and well-being.

Soles4Souls not only provides short-term relief through providing brand new shoes and clothing donated by retailers and manufacturers, but also creates economic impact and keeps unwanted textiles out of landfills. All of Scooch A Mi’s donated shoes will be distributed to the organization’s micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti, Honduras and other developing nations. The resulting revenue will help fund the free distribution of new shoes and clothing in the U.S., Canada and developing nations around the world.

“Millions of pairs of shoes lay idle in people’s closets,” said Ellen. “Giving those to Soles4Souls instead and insures that you are taking a step to help disrupt the cycle of poverty around the globe.”

About Scooch A Mi Boutique & Gallery

Scooch A Mi is a socially-conscious boutique in Chatham, NJ that features handmade jewelry, accessories, and gifts from global artisans. Launched in 2016, owner Ellen Eppie seeks to “spread mindful kindness” by supporting like-minded entrepreneurs and artists who show creativity and imagination while giving back to a heartfelt cause or community.

About Soles4Souls

Soles4Souls disrupts the cycle of poverty by creating sustainable jobs and providing relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, the organization repurposes product to supply its micro-enterprise, disaster relief and direct assistance programs. Since 2006, it has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. A nonprofit social enterprise, Soles4Souls earns more than half of its income and commits 100% of donations to programs. Visit soles4souls.org for more information.