Haines City Parks & Recreation teamed up with the Florida Recreation & Park Association (FRPA) for the 2016 annual conference service project to collect more than 555 pairs of sneakers before August 24 for those in need.
“We need the help of the community to rally together to help those in need,” said Parks and Recreation Director Auburn Taylor. “Right now everyone is buying new shoes for the upcoming school year, and it’s a great opportunity to donate those old pairs of shoes that are too small or going unused.”
The recipient organizations benefiting from the service project include GotSneakers and Soles4Souls. These organizations work together to collect sneakers and distribute them to people in need of shoes to go on with their daily lives. This reuse also reduces the amount of shoes that end up in landfills.
According to GotSneakers, approximately 200 million pairs of sneakers that are reusable, particularly in developing areas of the world, end up in American landfills each year.
“We would also like to encourage running clubs, sports teams, church groups, and community organizations to pool together to drop off shoes at one of our several locations,” said Taylor.
There are a total of five locations in Haines City. Drop off locations and addresses include:
• Haines City Hall: 620 E. Main Street
• Haines City Public Library: 111 N. 6th Street
• Oakland Neighborhood Center: 915 Ave. E.
• Lake Eva Community Center: 555 Ledwith Ave.
• Haines City Aquatics Center: 321 S. 6th Street
For more information about the shoe collection service project contact the Haines City Parks and Recreations Department at (863) 421-3700.