Donations sought for gently worn shoes to help Soles4Souls fight global poverty

Attorney Allison M. Ritter, of the Ritter Law Office LLP, recently launched a drive to collect gently used shoes to help those less fortunate around the globe by create meaningful business opportunities.

The shoes that Allison collects will be delivered to Soles4Souls, a non-profit social enterprise that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Founded in 2006, the organization has distributed more than 30 million pairs of new and used shoes in 127 countries.

“Ritter Law Office is a strong supporter of Soles4Souls’ disrupting the cycle of poverty mission, and we hope to take a big step in providing the organization with the new and gently used shoes they require to keep making a difference for people in need,” said Allison.

Soles4Souls will convert every used pair of shoes collected from the community into a value-added social currency to achieve positive change, both humanitarian and economic. Gently used shoes will be distributed to micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti, Honduras and other developing nations. The resulting revenue will help fund the free distribution of new shoes in the U.S., Canada and developing nations around the world.

The World Bank estimates that approximately 900 million people live on less than $1.90 per day, of which 400 million are children. Millions of these children don’t have access to adequate footwear, resulting in significant ramifications for their health and well-being. Tens of millions are at risk of infection from soil-transmitted parasitic diseases like hookworm, which can cause lasting suffering and lifelong debilitation. Meanwhile, many adults don’t have access to sustainable employment. In Haiti for example, more than two-thirds of the labor force don’t have jobs.

“The simple truth is that almost anyone with a closet has shoes they don’t wear, or an old pair that will just end up in a landfill,” said Allison. “Give those to us, and know that you are taking a step to making the world a better place for all of us.”

Allison M. Ritter focuses exclusively on criminal defense at the Ritter Law Office LLP. Her footwear drive for shoes of any kind can be brought to 2266 N. Prospect Avenue, Suite 312 in Milwaukee.