If you were to open up the garage at the home of Sarah Smith, you'd discover shoes. Lots of shoes. Over 12,000 pairs to be exact. Why are they there? The 15-year-old freshman at Sumner-Fredricksburg High School is collecting the shoes and will eventually donate them through the Soles4Souls program. And she's just getting started!

Smith heard about the program several years ago when a family friend participated in a shoe drive. She was instantly interested in organizing an event of her own. So Smith began collecting pairs of shoes that would eventually be donated to parts of the world where footwear isn't readily available. She first had a goal of 10,000 pairs of shoes. But that changed when she found out that if she collected 25,000 pairs, she and her parents would be allowed to travel to one of the ten distribution sites around the world.

Anyone can donate shoes. Mens, womens, and children's shoes are all accepted. They just have to have a sole. They don't even have to be in perfect shape. There are currently 8 drop off locations in Smith's hometown of Sumner. A shoe drop off drive is being held in Waterloo at Hope City Church on May 6th from 12:30 to 6 p.m. You can also learn more about Sarah's mission to donate shoes at her Facebook page.

 

[via KWWL]

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