Shoes!

Okay, I am over-the-top excited for this.  This is going to be the most awesome, ginormous shoe drive in the history of the planet.  Or at least close to it.

Who can you collect shoes for? 

You can collect shoes to raise the grant of your favorite waiting child.  You can collect shoes to raise money for your family's adoption.  You can even collect shoes to raise money for another family in process!

Do you want to participate?  We have three regions or zones.  

The first region is within 125 miles of Holyoke, MA.  If you are in this zone, our first 500 lbs collected will earn 30 cents per pound.  That is about 10 packed boxes, which we should be able to collect very quickly.  After that, this region will earn 35 cents per pound.  Personally delivering is another option if you live near the facility we are shipping to.  If you have a large quantity, say 1500 pounds of shoes, you can earn 45 cents per pound by delivering the shoes yourself and eliminating the shipping cost to the business we are working with.

Our second region is everything outside of the first region, heading west through Ohio. This will include the areas of New England further than 125 miles from Holyoke, MA.  It will also include the rest of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Ohio. This region will earn 20 cents per pound on the first 500 pounds collected, and 30 cents per pound after that.

Our third region is everything south and west of Ohio.  This region will earn 20 cents per pound. We don't have a minimum to meet for this region, but it is extra important that we send the right kinds of shoes and that we pack our shoes as tightly as possible in the boxes from this region. I know this region will go as far west as Missouri.  If you're further than that and you're interested, I can see if you can be included too.

So what kinds of shoes do we need?

We need gently used shoes that can be cleaned up and reused. We can use men's shoes, women's flats, kid's shoes, athletic shoes, and sandals. The shoes will be sent to Africa, so there are a few kinds of shoes that we can't accept.  We can't take any boots, like snow boots or fashion boots. We can't use stilettos or spike heels, although flats and low heels are okay. We also can't take flip-flops or crocs. I have a PDF poster that shows the type of shoes we want.

Collecting

You can start collecting shoes now!  Talk to your local community.  You can go to your churches, schools, friends and family. We've had recommendations to ask resale shops and garage sales for their leftover shoes.

I've got shoes.  Now what?

Okay, do you have a lot of shoes or a few? It takes about fifty pairs of shoes to fill one of the shipping boxes.  If you have a smaller batch, we can try to find someone nearby for you to combine with.  We can prepay for boxes and be reimbursed or you can use your own boxes if you have a good supply of uniform boxes approximately 18" by 18" by 24".  We will get you shipping labels, and you can drop the boxes off at the store that will be shipping them.  For larger shipments we can get a pickup of your packed boxes.

How do you know who should get credit for these shoes?

When you tell us you are ready for a batch of shipping labels, you will also tell us whose account you want your shoes to be credited to.  We will keep track of the numbers on the shipping labels.  Because of the tracking system we are using and the company's shipping system, it will be very important to not print the same shipping label more than once.  When the company receives your shoes, they will mark the shipping number and any other coding and weigh your box.  Reece's Rainbow will get checks from the company for the weight of those boxes, and they will use those tracking codes to make sure that the money earned goes into the correct accounts.

How long will this go on for?

Hmmmm....forever?  Well, maybe not forever, but it will go on indefinitely.  There isn't a set deadline for this fundraiser to end.  You can collect and ship shoes throughout the year.  That's part of why this is so awesome.  Reece's Rainbow could be receiving a check every week for the next year!

Have more questions? Feel free to contact me here or on Facebook!