May 17, 2010 / 4:30 pm
Thanks to the generosity of several anonymous donors, 30,000 pairs of shoes have a ride to Nevada.
Roy's Shoes owner Jim Belshaw collected tens of thousands of shoes in March to be donated around the world, part of the Soles4Souls program. However, when the time came to have them shipped to Nevada to be sorted and distributed, the donor had to back out.
Last week Belshaw made a plea to the public to find another donor to transport the collected shoes, and an answer came from Can Am West Carriers, based in Calgary.
Belshaw says they agreed to ship the shoes at cost, but he was about $800 short.
"So I talked to some of my fellow Rotarians and said that, 'Hey, guys, I need about another $800 to cover this' and two guys put their hands up and donated the money."
Belshaw says the total cost to ship the shoes is $2,225. An anonymous donor came forward with $1,000, and people have been donating their change or a few extra dollars at Roy's Shoes when they shop.
The shoes will be delivered to Nevada at the end of the month or early June. From there, they will be re-sorted and shipped around the world, mostly to Haiti.
Belshaw also donated about 8,000 pairs of shoes to local charities.
Jim Belshaw
Roy's Shoes, Boots and Repairs
http://www.roysshoes.com/
1627 Ellis Street Kelowna, BC V1Y 2A8
250-763-5696
