April 30, 2008 — Step away from the trash can with last year's strappy sandals or old work boots. Those shoes have a new destination.
From Thursday through May 26, Toshami'z Shoe Gallery will offer a 50-percent discount on total purchase price to all customers who bring in gently worn pairs of shoes, according to a news release from the retailer. (A customer can bring in four old pairs of shoes or 40 pairs — the discount is still 50 percent off the customer's total purchase.) The Four Winds Plaza retailer is working to benefit Soles4Souls, an international footwear charity that provides shoes to the needy worldwide.
"Sometimes we may take simple things for granted and throw out a pair of shoes because they've been in the closet so long and may not be the in thing at the moment, so why not give them away to someone else that may need them?" asked Tonya Thomas, Toshami'z Shoe Gallery owner, according to the release.
Soles4Souls takes all types of shoes, from gently used dress shoes to sneakers, boots and flip-flops, and sends them to needy people. There is even a need for high heels. Soles4Souls sends donated dress shoes to Dress for Success, an organization that helps disadvantaged women with professional attire.
Toshami'z will ship the shoes it collects to the Soles4Souls warehouse in Roanoke, Ala., according to Morgan Gunter of Soles4Souls' corporate offices in Nashville.
Once the shoes reach the warehouse, they are sorted into men's, women's and children's shoes, which then get a spray cleaning, Gunter explained.
"We're pretty specific on where we send our shoes according to type, size and grade," she said. "So we'll send flip-flops to warmer climates and boots to colder climates. … We try to find a use for every shoe that we get.
While the organization does some repair work, Soles4Souls can't send shoes with holes in them to people to wear. Shoes that are not wearable are sent for recycling, where they have such new uses as becoming part of an indoor track.
Soles4Souls has collected more than three million pairs of shoes from shoe companies, retailers and individuals. The shoes have been distributed in more than 60 countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Romania, Thailand and the Sudan.
For more information about the shoe drive at Toshami'z Shoe Gallery, call 340-714-7463. Toshami'z is closed on Sundays and Tuesdays. The store is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
For more information about Soles4Souls, click here or call (866) 521-7463.
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