The Mile End Community Mission is very excited about a recent friendship we’ve been developing with an amazing organization called Soles4Souls, Inc. This social enterprise is a Nashville-based charity, founded in 2006, that collects new and used shoes and redistributes them through direct donations to people in need and through micro-enterprise partners. Since its inception, Soles4Souls has distributed over 30 million pairs of shoes to people in over 127 countries.
In addition to shoes, Soles 4 souls collects new and used clothing from individuals and organizations and distribute both via direct donations to people in need and by provisioning qualified micro-enterprise programs designed to create jobs in poor and disadvantaged communities.
To a little mission like ours, a helping hand from friends in the community is so cherished, as we strive to help chronically disadvantaged individuals and families struggling well below the poverty line to improve their quality of life. . Receiving only a small amount of government assistance, the Mission relies heavily on public donations and fundraising events to continue to be able to offer crucial programs and services such as free hot/healthy meals, a weekly food bank and friperie, and soon, a new pair of shoes!
On Tuesday, May 8th, a passionate and caring team of shoe specialist-volunteers from Soles4Souls, Inc. will be coming to the mission to properly fit and give out shoes to 150 of our mission members. As you can imagine, a new pair of shoes is a true luxury for people struggling just to get their basic needs met and everyone is really looking forward to this initiative!
In addition to this wonderful gift of shoes, our members will also be treated like customers by the Soles4Souls volunteers on the day of the shoe distribution to ensure that they get the shoes that they want as well as the right fit. The dignity that this gives to our members is as equal a gift as the shoes themselves. We thank Soles4Souls for all that they do to help wear out poverty and we value our new friendship tremendously!
For any donations contact: mikechamberas@gmail.com
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.
By: Linda Lou Hachey, Executive Director-Mile End Community Mission
