Church sets shoe drive

Collection to help nonprofit group

A Rocky Mount church is collecting new and “gently worn” shoes to be given to people in need.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 301 S. Circle Drive, will participate in the Soles4Souls program from Monday through Oct. 30, said Tara Vester, the church’s preschool director and chairwoman for the drive.

Shoes will be collected at St. Andrew’s from 9 a.m. to noon weekdays. Donors also are asked to contribute $1 to help pay shipping expenses to the charity’s warehouse in Tennessee.

“We can use the shoes taking up space in your closet to change the world one pair at a time,” said Wayne Elsey, founder and chief executive officer of the Nashville, Tenn.-based nonprofit group. “It’s one of the most simple yet profound gifts you can make .”

Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away more than 5.5 million pairs of shoes in the United States and more than 125 other countries, donating a pair of shoes on an average of every 9 seconds.

For information, call Vester at 937-2459, e-mail standrewspreschool@live.com or go to giveshoes.org.