Local school aiming for 10k pairs of shoes for those in need
- Ron Giofu
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
Amherstburg Public School students show pairs of shoes they are gathering for Soles4Soles. The school is attempting to gather a total of 10,000 pairs of shoes.
A local elementary school is undertaking a number of charitable initiatives, with a shoe driving kicking things into high gear, so to speak.
Amherstburg Public School and its social justice club are collecting shoes that are no longer worn and will be donating to the charity “Soles4Souls.”
They started collecting pairs of shoes from within the school community and the Amherstburg community as a whole since the 2025-26 school year started in September.
Music teacher and social justice teacher lead Nadine Draper said they are trying to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes by the Christmas vacation, with efforts having surpassed 2,100 pairs so far.
Not only do the shoes help communities in crisis, Draper said the shoes are refurbished and kept out of landfills. She added in areas where they are sent, the shoes are sold by local entrepreneurs as a way to keep people employed.
When Amherstburg Public School collects 10,000, they will receive 100 pairs of new shoes for the school community. Draper added thanks to a partnership with BioPed in LaSalle, an additional 100 pairs of shoes will be coming to the school.
“They accept all kinds of shoes,” added teacher Lisa Staley. “They also fix them.”
Two other teacher advisors are with the social justice club, including Rachelle Caron and Sarah Casey.
Shoes can be running shoes, crocs, high heels and other types of footware.
Not only is Amherstburg Public School a drop-off point, the community is welcome to drop off their donated shoes at the Libro Centre. There is a box available in the Libro Centre lobby.
Draper said not only does the box at the Libro Centre fill up quickly, so does the area surrounding it.
“Every time I go to the Libro Centre, there is a van-load full,” she said. “It is usually one or two pick-ups per week at the Libro Centre.”
Draper added she is proud of the students for encouraging their fellow students about this and other charitable initiatives. She said it is a giving school that helps where it can.
The shoe drive is a way people can give back to their community without it costing them much, if any, money, Draper pointed out.
Among the other charitable initiatives Amherstburg Public School is involved are a campaign to have students create holiday cards for the Downtown Mission, a food drive for Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) and a toy drive.
For further information on Soles4Souls, please visit their website www.soles4souls.org.
Local school aiming for 10k pairs of shoes for those in need
By Ron Giofu
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