Shoes

Hayes Shoe Store and JOG, inc. partner on shoe drive for earthquake victims

If there’s anything runners have it’s running shoes. After a few months of running, the shoes lose their zoom in racing, but if they are washed, they still look pretty good as street shoes. Two groups in Cuba, MO want those shoes.

With running shoes in mind, Hayes Family Shoe Store and JOG,inc. decided that they would contact the runners pre-registered for the Saturday, March 27 Race to the Rocker about bringing clean, gently used tennis shoes to the race registration so that they could be donated to the recent earthquake victims.

There will be a collection table for the shoes at race registration.  Volunteers will take the shoes and place a rubber band around them for transportation purposes.  It is not necessary to tie them together.

Jeff Bouse of Hayes Family Shoe Store, a soles4souls collection point, will pick them up and see that the shoes get to the warehouse of the organization so that they can be passed out to earthquake victims.

Soles4Souls is a non-profit shoe charity that distributes shoes to those in need.  The organization’s website www.soles4souls.org says that another pair of shoes is distributed every nine seconds and almost eight million pairs of shoes have been distributed to date. According to the organization,  “It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unused shoes lying in their closets.” Soles4Souls can use those to make a difference in someone’s life.

If you are a runner, walker, or just someone with a pair of shoes to donate, give them a wash and donate them at the Race to the Rocker registration, which opens at Britton Funeral Home at 7:30 am for the 9:00 am race.  Shoes for people of all ages will be accepted.  You can also donate them at Hayes Shoe Store in Cuba, MO on the corner of Smith and Washington prior to the race.

Pre-registration for the Saturday, March 27 race is inching toward 400. Over 135 bags of trash were picked up on Route 66 a week ago to ready the route for the race. Viva Cuba’s team is ready to run and donate shoes.

If you are still interested in registering for the race, go to www.jog-inc.com for more information or register online at www.GetMeRegistered.com under March Events.