Soles4Souls: Amarillo church hosts 13th annual shoe drive for those in need

Brianna Maestas, Amarillo Globe-News
·2 min read

First Christian Church in Amarillo is collecting footwear of all kinds for its annual annual shoe drive benefiting Soles4Souls, now through the end of July.

Soles4Souls is a 501C3, Charity Navigator Four Star Rated organization that turns unwanted shoes into opportunity, by keeping them from going to waste by collecting them to give to youth in need.

First Christian Church of Amarillo is holding its 13th annual Soles4Souls shoe drive to benefit youth in need. New and gently used shoes can be dropped off at the church, located at 3001 Wolflin Ave., during business hours until July 31.
First Christian Church of Amarillo is holding its 13th annual Soles4Souls shoe drive to benefit youth in need. New and gently used shoes can be dropped off at the church, located at 3001 Wolflin Ave., during business hours until July 31.

"The great thing about this is we are not asking people to spend money necessarily. They are welcome to go out and buy a pair of shoes if they'd like, but really all they need to do is open the closet door and look at what they are not wearing anymore or outgrew and drop them off at the church, or let us know to pick them up," said Richard Snyder, Ministry Outreach Leader for First Christian Church.

According to Snyder, the church was originally planning to hold the event as a one-time collection, but they received so many donations form the community that they have continued the drive annually. Last year, the church collected up to 1,000 donated pairs of shoes. This year, for its 13th annual donation drive, they are hoping to see the same participation from the community.

First Christian Church has teamed up with the men's leadership organization 101 Elite Men to help collect shoe donations as well.

"We have worked with First Christian Church for a few years now, and we just want to spread love throughout Amarillo and felt this was a good way to continue to support each other, our community and those in need," said Curtis Johnson, President and Founder of 101 Elite Men.

According to Johnson, the two organizations have worked together on several occasions since their initial partnership in 2018. The organization will participate by collecting shoes from their members and community to drop off at the church in late July.

First Christian Church of Amarillo is holding its 13th annual Soles4Souls shoe drive to benefit youth in need. New and gently used shoes can be dropped off at the church, located at 3001 Wolflin Ave. during business hours until July 31.
First Christian Church of Amarillo is holding its 13th annual Soles4Souls shoe drive to benefit youth in need. New and gently used shoes can be dropped off at the church, located at 3001 Wolflin Ave. during business hours until July 31.

"One of the reasons why we keep doing this every year is because it's successful, and we continuously see support from outside the church community, and go beyond the walls of our church into the Amarillo community and even across the Panhandle. ... It also helps a lot of people from all parts of the world and I think encourages us to look past ourselves," Snyder said.

The Soles4Souls shoe drive is collecting new and gently used shoes of all sizes and for any age. The shoes can be dropped off at the First Christian Church in Amarillo, located at 3001 Wolflin Ave., between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Shoes can also be dropped off Sunday mornings between the hours of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Individuals can also schedule for the church to pick up shoes by calling them at (806) 355-6526.

Although this year's drive runs until July 31, the church will continue to accept donations throughout the year to be included in next year's Soles4Souls shoe drive.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Soles4Souls: First Christian Church hosts shoe drive for those in need