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Mona Purdy - Founder, Share Your Soles

As I lay in my warm bed at night with a full belly, resting on a soft pillow, I can’t help but think about the Haitians who are sleeping in bundles outside on the hard ground; hungry, dirty, and scared.

But what can I do about it here in Melbourne, Florida? I can give money, but how much of my gift is actually being used to directly impact the life of a Haitian man, woman, or child? I will never know. Personally, I want to know that 100% of my donation is going to be used for aid and not portioned out between aid and administrative costs.

A local resident has grabbed the bull by the horns and strapped it down. Terra Goheen of Palm Bay was heart-wrenched by the disaster and faced many of the same concerns I mentioned when deciding on how she could help, until she came across Share Your Soles, a ministry out of Illinois which provides shoes to the needy around the world.

With a monetary donation by Kevin Downs, owner of 5 Star Claims Adjusting in Ft. Lauderdale to help offset the cost of shipping to Illinois for processing, and with the support of Rebbitzen Diana Levine of Kol Mashiach, Goheen put her best foot forward and boldly stepped out to host a “Foot Drive” to collect brand-new and gently worn shoes for men, women, children, and infants. Unishippers owners Kevin and Julie Fisher immediately offered discounted shipping rates to support the cause through their services.

But now, she needs your help. Goheen will have a drop box at Kol Mashiach located at 1621 Lake Washington Road at the corner of Lake Washington and Stewart in Melbourne from 10am – 5pm, Monday through Friday beginning Monday, February 1st. Feel free to drop your new and like-new shoes in the bins at your convenience.

There will also be a final event from 10am – 3pm on Sunday, February 21st, also at Kol Mashiach, to tie things up for the Foot Drive. A group of volunteers will be on site to collect the final shoes and box them up for shipping. They have invited DJ’s from WA1A and Z88.3, reporters from the Florida Today Newspaper and Space Coast Vibe, and television coverage by Fox 35 News.

If you would like posters or stickers to cover your own drop box which you could leave at your place of business, email Terra at tlgoheen@gmail.com. For a list of what shoes are needed visit www.shareyoursoles.org and click on the ‘Our Story’ tab and scroll to the “Who, How, When” link. You can direct any further questions to Goheen’s email.

We may never know what it feels like to walk in the shoes of a Haitian who has lost their home and loved ones, but we can search our souls and at the very least give them some shoes to walk in. Think about it…