Don’t be a loafer. Donate shoes to His Hands Free Clinic

Imagine 250,001 pairs of shoes. That’s what it takes to break the Guinness World Records mark for the number of shoes collected in one week. His Hands Free Clinic, with the help of Eastern Iowans, is working to break this record June 17 to 21, while raising funds and awareness for the clinic to continue providing health care for individuals in our area who don’t have the resources to purchase insurance or pay for health care. (A side bonus, we’ll be keeping lots of shoes out of the landfill.)

I know, 250,001 is a huge number; and it sounds insane; but as the saying goes, “Go big or go home.” When a co-worker and I dreamed up this idea, we were looking for a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal); and we truly got one! We had no idea where this idea would go or how big it would become. It has really mushroomed. Eastern Iowa: I think we can break this record, but we need you to participate to make this happen!

We were looking for something for our community to rally around and put Cedar Rapids on the map. I think we may have found it. As a community, we worked hard together after the flood and derecho to help each other. Now it's time to come together for something fun. I’d say this is His Hands’ answer to the Ice Bucket Challenge. You can be a part of this event without freezing your brain!

This is a herculean effort, and we need everyone to pitch in to make it happen; specifically, we need shoes and volunteers. There are over 100 places in town you can bring shoes. For a complete up-to-date list of locations, go to hishandsclinic.org. The hub for all the shoes is at Westminster Presbyterian Church 1285 3rd Ave SE. The church has graciously allowed us to use its space to sort, count and bag shoes. If you are interested in helping by sorting or collecting shoes, please go to our website: hishandsclinic.org/shoes, or just show up this week Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and we will have fun while we work! The last day and time to donate shoes will be June 22 at the Balloon Glow at Jones Memorial Park from noon to 9 p.m.

There are incentives for you to donate shoes. The individual who brings in the most pairs of shoes will win a new pair of shoes from Trade Home Shoes and a $100 gift card to Scheels. Second place will receive socks from Trade Home Shoes and a $50 gift card from Scheels. Third place will receive a $25 gift card from Scheels. Also, there are swag items from a variety of businesses for the winners. Additionally, the church or organization with the most pair of shoes collected will win pizza for the entire group. The second-place church or organization will receive ice cream for the whole group from Hy-Vee.

I would like to thank some organizations that have been extremely helpful in making this event possible. In no particular order: Westminster Presbyterian Church, Fed Ex, Van Meter, Transamerica, Trade Home Shoes, The Can Shed, Cedar Rapids Kernels, Quaker Oats, Hills Bank, Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, Farmers State Bank, The Gazette, KCRG, WMT, Koch Office Group/EO Johnson Business Technologies, Scheels, Thrivent Financial and Hy-Vee.

Many people have asked me why shoes? For many people who know me, the joke is: I can’t throw anything away because somebody, somewhere could use it. I think a lot of us have a hard time throwing shoes into the landfill because we know that someone could use them, but how can we do this and help the most people possible at the same time?

His Hands’ shoe collection will directly benefit our community by giving a portion of the collection to patrons of the Willis Dady Works program, Catherine McAuley Center, Mission of Hope and St. Vincent de Paul Society. The shoes provided will help individuals who have recently found work in factories to have proper shoes to wear to work. In addition, there are many people in our community who do not have appropriate footwear to protect their feet.

His Hands’ shoe collection also will benefit people worldwide by working with an organization called Funds2orgs, which works with small businesses all over the world. They supply cobblers or shoemakers with inventory that they can sell to help provide for their needs. The stories are amazing how these small businesses have been able to grow, from meeting their basic needs to having enough money to send their children to school.

Good shoes are important to prevent blisters and help reduce soreness and fatigue. Some shoes can help keep your spine aligned. Shoes can also help us maintain our balance, posture, and help prevent falls. Shoes protect our feet from injury, especially in an industrial work environment. At His Hands, we have special shoes that we give to people with diabetes that help improve circulation and ease joint pressure. In developing countries, going barefoot can expose people to injuries, infections, and parasites.

Some say that the U.S. is flooding the market with substandard goods, including shoes. While this is a concern, having shoe stores that sell new shoes in developing countries does not guarantee access to shoes to everyone, especially for disadvantaged populations. Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in filling the gaps and ensuring that vulnerable individuals have access to essential items like shoes for their health, safety, and well-being. Selling secondhand goods in Africa is becoming a part of the economy, like the trend in the United States to thrift and reuse.

So, in a nutshell, please clean out your closets, and tell all your friends, relatives and neighbors to bring new and/or gently used shoes to the His Hands’ World Record Shoe Drive in Cedar Rapids, June 17 through June 22. You can drop the shoes off at one of the 100 locations across the county or at Westminster Church, 1285 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids. For a list of all the locations and volunteer opportunities, please visit: hishandsclinic.org/shoes. Be a part of this citywide effort to help people in Eastern Iowa and all over the world. Plus you will feel great after decluttering your closet of unused shoes! Thank you so much! By the way …. Each day, we will give you the running total of how close we are to meeting our goal on our website and Facebook page.

Dawn Brouwers is development director at His Hands Free Clinic.