Used shoes of any variety are needed
RABAS holding unique fundraiser
Save your gently used shoes for Rivers and Bluffs Animal Shelter and you could help the organization earn $1,000 toward its establishment of a shelter in the Prairie du Chien area.
RABAS has from now through the end of May to collect 2,500 pairs of new or gently used wearable shoes in good condition (no holes) and of any variety: kids, adults, boots, flip flops, tennis, oxfords, etc. Now is the time to clean out your closets and donate those shoes that have been taking up space.
Funds 2 Orgs, with headquarters in Orlando, Fla., will sell the shoes to small businesses in developing countries. Micro-entrepreneurs in these countries come from families with little or no income or livelihood. They clean and repair the shoes and sell them for a profit. The ability to sell or repurpose donated shoes represents an opportunity for individual families and their communities to develop microbusinesses within their areas. This empowers the population to be less reliant on charity and experience true self-sustainability.
Also, by collecting wearable shoes, people are helping to keep them out of landfills. In the United States alone, more than 600 million pairs of shoes are thrown away each year. The materials used to manufacture shoes contain chemical compounds that can create health hazards if left to disintegrate in the open or in landfills.
RABAS representative Bev Pozega is hoping to make the collection of 2,500 shoes a reality by distributing 100 large, clear plastic bags to be filled and 2,500 rubber bands to couple the matching pairs together.
Anyone willing to take a bag and collect 25 pairs of shoes from your closets or from those of your friends, family and co-workers is asked to contact Pozega at 326-2914.
If you don’t feel you can fill a bag, your personally donated shoes may be dropped off at a number of Prairie du Chien businesses, including Tractor Supply, Southwest Vet (also in Bloomington), Mistified, HS Salon, Panka Shoe Store, Tender Care Animal Hospital, Century 21 Realty-Tina Osterhaus, Bluff View School and B.A. Kennedy Elementary School. Outside of Prairie du Chien, “Save Your Shoes” boxes are available at Paper Moon in McGregor, Clare Bank in Bloomington, River Ridge Schools, Peoples State Bank in Bloomington and Southwest Tech in Fennimore.
Business owners interested in placing collection boxes at their location may also contact Pozega at 326-2914.
