Ossian Rotary has begun its annual shoe collection, which continues until the end of February. The local service organization has collected over 4,000 pairs of used shoes to repurpose them to those in need over the past four years. As in past years, this year’s collection is working in conjunction with the nonprofit organization Changing Footprints.
As its mission, Changing Footprints realizes the great need for shoes in our country and around the world as protection from diseases and a gateway to education. Shoes in any condition are collected for homeless, disaster-stricken, or underprivileged people locally, nationally and internationally regardless of race, religion, gender, or ethnicity. Even damaged and single shoes are converted to safe playground material upon which children run and play.
The organization collects and redistributes 60,000 pairs a year and on average 80 percent of the shoes collected locally are redistributed in Indiana — although shipments of shoes were also sent to Ukraine to help those in need there.
Shoe collection bins are located at Ossian and Lancaster Elementary Schools, Norwell Middle and High Schools, First Baptist Church of Ossian, Ossian Church of the Nazarene, Ossian Health Communities, Rod’s Rustics on Main Street in Ossian and Caylor-Nickel Family Foundation YMCA in Bluffton.
Shoe pairs should be tied or bagged together to assist distribution efforts.
Ossian Rotary meetings are Thursday mornings at 7:30 at the First Baptist Church of Ossian, 1001 Dehner Drive on the north side of Ossian. Anyone is welcome to attend. For more information, please contact Jeremy Penrod, Ossian Rotary President, at jeremy.penrod@edwardjones.com.
Rotary International is the world’s largest international service organization. Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world.
