LEWISTOWN -- Members of this Lewistown congregation have a whole lot of soul -- or to be more accurate, soles.
Five hundred pairs of shoes were donated recently by members of the Maitland Church of the Brethren, Lewistown, for Soles4Souls, more than doubling the church's goal of 200.
The new or lightly used shoes were delivered to the already growing pile of shoes at the Pine Church of the Brethren recently to provide relief, help create jobs and empower people to break the cycle of poverty through the selling of shoes in developing countries. When 25,000 pairs are collected at Pine Glen Church of the Brethren, a truck will pick them up for delivery to Sole4Soles a non-profit organization.
The organization receives shoe and clothing donations from individuals, community donation drives, and retailers. Then, Soles4Souls distributes the donated items to various programs around the world to help those in need. As of 2020, Soles4Souls has distributed 50 million pairs of shoes or items of clothing in 129 countries. As of 2010, about 55 percent of the shoes are distributed in the United States and 45 percent are distributed abroad. As of 2020, about 75% of the shoes are sold to other non-profits that operate microenterprise programs in developing countries. Those non-profits sell the shoes to small business owners, that sell them at local marketplaces in developing countries in order to support their family. Soles4Souls charges a fee for the shoes that is used to support its operations. Pictured are Kathy Stimely, of Pine Glen Church of the Brethren, with Irene Kratzer, Ned Kratzer, and Maria Kratzer, who helped deliver 500 pairs of shoes from Maitland Church of the Brethren.