Soles4Souls Inc.: Soles4Souls Inc. Delivering Emergency Footwear to Victims of Florida Tornadoes
Soles4Souls Inc. Delivering Emergency Footwear to Victims of Florida Tornadoes
Shoe Charity Will Have 6,000 Shoes on the Ground by Sunday Evening
ORLANDO, FL and NASHVILLE, TN and LAS VEGAS, NV — (MARKET WIRE) — February 03, 2007 — Soles4SoulsInc., the international
charity dedicated to providing free footwear topeople in need, announced today that they are delivering more than 6,000pairs of shoes to victims of the tornadoes in central Florida. Thetornadoes tore through four counties early Friday morning, killing at least20 people, including three children.
“These tornadoes affected communities along an 80-mile swath ofdestruction,” said Wayne Elsey, Founder of Soles4Souls and President ofKodiak-Terra USA Inc. “We need to act quickly so that people have accessto footwear, and we will sustain a presence in the area for as long as ittakes to ensure that we distribute shoes to everyone who needs them,” hesaid.
According to Paul Wilson, President of Soles4Souls, several members of theSoles4Souls team will be in Lake County by Sunday evening to distribute theshoes to the hardest hit areas. “This tragedy touches our hearts and ourgoal is to react within 24 hours,” Wilson said. “FEMA and aid groups aredistributing food, water, blankets, and ice, which is the primary concernfor people in the area. We know from experience that within a week of sucha disaster, it’s the little things — such as missing shoes — that beginto take a toll on disaster victims,” Wilson said. “Our purpose is to reachout to these people and take care of the little things.”
In Lake County alone, more than 1,500 homes were destroyed and thousandsmore were damaged. Most of the donated shoes are rugged outdoor and workboot styles to help people avoid puncture injuries from debris and fallentrees. Several footwear companies have offered to pitch in to assistSoles4Souls in delivering shoes to people in the region.
One such company is Deckers Outdoor Corporation, manufacturers of Teva, UggAustralia, and Simple Shoes. Soles4Souls is receiving hundreds of pairs ofTeva outdoor performance shoes, which have been specifically designated forpeople in central Florida.
“With such a small effort on our part, how can we not become involved whenpresented with this great opportunity to make an impact on those who areless fortunate than ourselves,” said President and CEO Angel Martinez.”Deckers, along with our retail partners, is proud to support Soles4Soulsin this initiative,” Martinez said.
“It’s remarkable that the footwear industry can get behind an initiativesuch as this to help people in their time of need,” said Diane Stone, ChiefOperating Officer of the WSA Show. “Because this tragedy occurred duringthe WSA Show — when all the footwear companies come together –Soles4Souls was able to connect the dots and get this project finalizedwith remarkable speed, ” she said.
About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls™ facilitates the donations of shoes, whichwill be used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, andindividuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for taxadvantages. Visit www.soles4souls.org or call (888) 840-7074.
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