Huge Shoe Donation Is Giant Step Toward Fighting Global Poverty
DENVER (CBS4) - A charity that collects new and gently-worn shoes took a giant step on Tuesday. A former shoe entrepreneur donated more than 1,000 pairs of brand new fashionable boots, heels and flats for women.
It was a perfect match.
Soles4Souls is dedicated to giving shoes to those in need around the world. Dana Davis has always been in step with helping others.
"We have shoes from over eight years," said Davis.
She was standing next to a storage unit piled high with remnants of her former life.
"I couldn't purge them," Davis told CBS4's Kathy Walsh.
There were more than 1,000 new pairs of high fashion footwear which Davis designed with comfort in mind.
"I'm a type 1 diabetic for 43 years, and I have foot issues," she said.
Davis was 7 years old when she was diagnosed. Her father was billionaire Marvin Davis. Her mother founded the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes.
Davis was a teacher-turned-shoe entrepreneur. But in 2015, she walked away from the business to head the Children's Diabetes Foundation.
"There's hundreds of shoes," she said. "What do you do with them?"
Davis opted to donate them. The shoes were packed, stacked and trucked to Wheat Ridge. They were deposited in the warehouse of Soles4Souls.
"Her donation just really touched our hearts," said Emory Dinner, Regional Donation Center Manager - Colorado.
Dinner explained Soles4Souls distributes new shoes around the world and the nonprofit provides gently-used shoes for creating small businesses.
"In Haiti and Honduras, the sale of one pair of shoes from our entrepreneur can feed a family for five days," said Dinner.
"I'm really excited to have them go do something positive," said Davis.
Soles4Souls proved perfect for Davis' pumps. The charity will never underestimate the power of shoes.
From Soles4Souls:
Soles4Souls is always collecting gently worn shoes of any style and size. In the Denver Metro area, we have over 50 stores that collect for us. So, to donate 12 pairs or less, please visit our store locator here to find the donation box closest to you. If your business would like to be a reoccurring drop off location, reach out!
To make an even bigger impact, host a shoe drive with your school, place of faith, civic group, or business. Right now, we are featuring our Women4Women and GO GREEN campaigns in honor of International Women's Day and Earth Day. To register for a shoe drive, click here or contact Emory Dinner, Soles4Souls Regional Donation Center Manager for Colorado, at Emoryd@soles4Souls.org. You can make a difference in wearing out poverty!
For more information on the Children's Diabetes Foundation online
4380 S. Syracuse St., Suite 430, Denver, CO 80237
303-863-1200
Childrens Diabetes Foundation on Facebook
Twitter: @CDFdiabetes
Instagram: @CDFdiabetes
