PTA appeals to community to step up for shoe drive

Tim Forsberg
Posted 10/23/14

The old adage states, “You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Thanks to the efforts of the students, staff and Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) at Wyman …

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PTA appeals to community to step up for shoe drive

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The old adage states, “You never truly know someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Thanks to the efforts of the students, staff and Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) at Wyman Elementary, the school will raise much-needed funds while supplying those who are less fortunate with footwear.

Jennifer Carney, a mother of four and first year PTA president at Wyman, was looking to address a major concern of every school PTA: how to raise funds for school activities and recognition awards. For the past three years, the school held a successful calendar sale fundraiser but was looking for a change that would help others at the same time.

“I was thinking over the summer of different ways to raise money for the school that wouldn’t necessarily cost the community money,” said Jennifer. “While I was online searching for different ideas, I stumbled across the site for Angel Bins.”

Angel Bins, a for-profit recycling company based out of Los Angeles, assists schools, churches and other community groups raise money through the collection and recycling of clothes, shoes and household wares. Those items are then sold at a steep discount to various third world countries that would otherwise be unable to afford them.

“Our minimum goal set for this program will be to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes,” said Jennifer. “The company supplements their support by sending out a tractor trailer at a specified date, bringing all the shoes back to L.A., sanitizing them, cleaning them and then giving them to the needy.”

The donated shoes do not have to be new. They must be a matched pair and have to be wearable with no holes or significant wear and tear. Children’s shoes, adult shoes, slippers and both work and play shoes are accepted.

“We’re just asking you for some of your time to go through your own closets, especially children’s, for they grow out of shoes quickly, because shoes are something everyone has,” said Jennifer.

The shoe drive kicked off on Sept. 1, with a deadline set for Dec. 1. Donations first arrived slowly, but now midway through the school’s campaign and with the season change, the momentum has recently picked up.

“I’m getting donations now by the dozens,” said Jennifer, who estimates they’ve already collected close to 4,000 pairs of shoes. “I get trash bags full of shoes dropped off almost daily at my house. I keep them in my garage,” she laughed.

Aided by Trish Iannone, Lisa Valentine and Kristine Polichetti of Wyman’s PTA board, Jennifer has held bundling parties where neighbors help pair up the shoes by tying the laces together or bind them together with elastics.

If the PTA is able to gather the 10,000 pairs of shoes, they’ll receive a check for $5,000 from Angel Bins for their efforts. Calculations for the drive are done by the pound, and when 10,000 pounds of shoes are gathered, they’ll have reached their goal and the shoes will be collected. On average, 10,000 pairs of shoes are needed to complete such a drive.

“We’ve challenged each student, with roughly 300 kids at Wyman, to collect 33 pairs of shoes,” said Jennifer. “We’re hoping that they’ll get their friends and families involved.”

Green recycle bins have been placed on school grounds to collect the shoes. Businesses, church groups, local farmer’s markets and other organizations have pitched in to help. If they’re successful in their endeavor, the school will then be able to continue to help others while benefiting the school financially.

“If we meet our goal, we then have the choice of having an Angel Bin drop-off bin placed on school property. We’d collect shoes and even clothes at that point continuously to have passive fundraising available all the time,” said Jennifer.

Through the shoe drive, the PTA hopes that the students of Wyman will learn an important message about aiding those in need.

“I think it helps kids remember to be thankful for what we have and be mindful that we have ways to give to others that doesn’t necessarily require opening a pocketbook,” said Jennifer.

There will be a collection date at the school this weekend on Saturday, Oct. 25 from noon until 2 p.m. To schedule a private shoe drop-off or pickup, email Jennifer Carney at carneyjk@gmail.com. For more information on Angel Bins and their mission visit www.angelbins.com.

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