The Shoe Drive for the Lacey United Methodist Church to benefit the church and developing nations is coming upon its last week. So far, we have collected 2,320 pairs of gently used or new shoes. This leaves us with 180 pairs still needed to reach the goal set by funds2orgs. I know there is a lot more people within the Lacey area of New Jersey that possess shoes that they don't wear or need. This Thursday and Friday (the 22nd and 23rd of July), there will be someone in front of the church collecting shoes between 10am and 11am.
In addition, drop boxes are still at Retro Fitness, OTA Car Care, Jersey Charm Coffee and Lacey Recreation. Shoes can also be dropped off at the LUMC Office and the Joy Of Angels Thrift Shoppe. I would like to thank Gladiator Gym and the previously mentioned locations for their help with supporting this great cause. Lori Osborn did a great job in organizing this fundraiser, as well as many others from the fundraising team and church members whom spent many sweaty hours banding and bagging shoes.
It is really interesting to know that funds2orgs sets up business owners from these nations to sell these shoes at a great price to help their economy. The shoes are bagged in bags containing 25 pairs each. Needless to say, rooms behind the church office are unusable due to the massive amount of shoes. The shoes that aren't sold will be used in another manufacturing process to allow aid to be given to a specific nation. The businesses don't have to pay for the shoes upfront. They only start paying a small monthly fee when they are doing well. It's really a win-win situation because not only does this help their economy but it helps with getting others out of poverty.
