Millions of children around the world live without a single pair of shoes. Everyday these children risk disease, injury and exposure to a countless number of dangers walking bare foot.
In March, California Baptist University mechanical engineer major, Rebecca Trupp will lead, alongside the cross country team and track team, a campus-wide shoe drive, collecting pairs of shoes to donate to people who are less fortunate.
Barrels will be available outside of the Van Dyne Gym, so students can donate new and used pairs of shoes to the shoe drive and help raise awareness of how big of an impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life.
The shoe drive is in its second year and this time the team’s goal is to collect 500 pairs of shoes.
Trupp explained that the team is primarily interested in new or used walking, running, athletic and sneaker-type, closed-toe shoes.
The barrels will be made available the first week of Chapel in March and carry-on throughout the end of the semester. The barrels will be set out for first Chapel on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and will be available until 2 p.m.
“Bringing shoes will be the best way to support the cause right now, as well as liking our Facebook page: ’CBU Shoe Drive’ and also telling friends and family,” Trupp said.
Trupp, the cross country team and the track team came up with the shoe drive because as runners they know how important shoes are, and how much they can make a difference in their runs.
Trupp explained how shoes are something people often take for granted, and fill closets with many pairs that do not get used often.
“This drive is designed so that those shoes hiding in the back of the closet, or are used and no longer needed and still have life left in them, can be given to those less fortunate who cannot afford them or don’t have them,” Trupp said.
The shoes will be donated to The Give Running, where the shoes are cleaned and distributed to less fortunate people.
Give Running donates the collected shoes to different areas locally and across the globe to help those in need.
With this shoe drive, Give Running extends a helping hand to less fortunate people in areas like Downtown Riverside, Downtown Los Angeles and the deserts of Africa.
