Courtesy photo
The local Partners In Ministry shoe drive fundraiser collected 25,156 pairs of shoes.
LAURINBURG — Partners In Ministry finished its “Reaching Souls with Soles: A Hands Up Ministry” shoe drive fundraiser with a collection of 25,156 pairs of shoes.
The fundraiser was a part of a global incitive that will assist needy people across the world in third world countries, said Chanel McClennahan, program development and outreach coordinator for PIM.
“We started in April,” she said. “At first, it was just in-house with the staff and volunteers contributing. It later progressed into the community helping.”
McClennahan said that the shoes will go to micro-enterprises in developing nations. The owners of those companies will repurpose the shoes and sell them. This gives them the means to support themselves and their families.
“Through this extraordinary collaboration with churches, sororities, organizations, businesses, and individuals, Partners In Ministry will also have the opportunity to utilize funds raised from the initiative to further support the construction of the State Employees’ Credit Union Community Education Center,” the group stated in a news release.
This effort, according to McClennahan, helps more than 4 million people across the world. Funds2orgs.com, the site that PIM partnered with for the fundraiser, says there are 300 million people who don’t own shoes and shoe drive fundraisers help to provide 4,000 micro-entrepreneurs with inventory.
Though McClennahan said they didn’t reach their goal of 30,000 pairs of shoes, the amount of shoes PIM collected says a lot about the community.
“It speaks highly of Scotland County and the surrounding counties. We are small, but we’re mighty,” she said.
Cheris Hodges can be reached at chodges@laiurinburgexchange.com.