As wholesale footwear distributors who supply footwear both domestically and internationally, we know there are many developing countries in which both children and adults do not have the shoes they desperately need to protect their feet from freezing temperatures and potential disease. Recently, an article revealed Matoaka Elementary School in VA is holding a fundraiser to collect shoes for the benefit of the school’s PTA, as well as those in need in developing countries.
According to a recent shoe news article at Williamsburg Yorktown Daily, the initiative is being run through Funds2Orgs, an organization that works to facilitate shoe drives for schools, churches, nonprofits, and civics groups across the country. The organization also facilitates other unique fundraising activities.
Funds2Orgs focuses on promoting self-sufficiency rather than donations, a unique approach to philanthropy and fundraising based on the “teach a man to fish” concept. Shoes are collected from drives around the nation, and shipped to hubs in developing countries where the footwear is sold to specific individuals for an amount well below the value of the footwear. The shoes are then cleaned, repaired and repurposed so they can be sold to the larger population. The purpose is twofold: providing the community with an article of apparel they truly need, along with providing a smaller portion of the population with jobs.
Students learn through the shoe drive about the importance of giving back, and supplying underdeveloped countries with the shoes they need rather than throwing them away. The Matoaka Elementary School drive has collected over 900 pairs of shoes in the six weeks since the effort began, with the drive running through November 15.
Most families in the U.S. take shoes for granted, not ever considering that many families in developing countries do not enjoy the luxury of footwear that protects their feet from injury, temperatures, and disease. At The Jay Group Ltd., we provide wholesale shoes at below-wholesale prices for both domestic and international sales. For all of your bulk wholesale footwear needs, partner with us today!
