National Go Barefoot Day on June 1st gives us an opportunity to kick off your shoes and run barefoot through the cool grass! More importantly, it is a day to help support a charity that provides millions of underprivileged children all around the world with shoes

Donating gently used shoes does several things. First, and most importantly, it puts usable footwear on those who need it most. In many countries, shoes are hard to come by, especially good shoes that protect feet from rocks and harsh elements. Even if they have access to a pair of shoes, they may be handed down, worn or ill-fitting. And, they may only be able to wear them on special occasions.

Second, donating your shoes keeps them out of the landfill. And we all know the landfills have enough items filling them up at the moment. Divert those still usable, clean and good shoes to someone who will wear them to school and work. They will help the owners of those feet get an education and make a living. It’s amazing what a difference a pair of shoes can make.

NATIONAL GO BAREFOOT DAY HISTORY

Soles4Souls created National Go Barefoot Day after the 2004 Tsunami disaster to support those affected by the event. However, donations have continued to come in and over 56 million pairs of shoes have been donated worldwide since 2005.

HOW TO OBSERVE #GoBarefootDay

Now is a good time to clean out your closets and donate a pair or two of gently used shoes to a charitable organization in your area or see the following for information: Soles4Souls organization. Use #GoBarefootDay to post on social media.