Make tracks to the Habitat ReStore in Brewton with your old shoes and help a deserving Escambia County family get a new home as part of an ongoing Habitat for Humanity shoe drive fundraiser.
Lisa Tindell, executive director for the Escambia County Habitat for Humanity, said the shoe drive will begin today, July 1, and will also benefit those in developing nations and help reduce what goes into landfills.
“Habitat uses all of the funds donated to us or raised through events like this to fund the construction or renovation of homes in our county for those who might not otherwise qualify for conventional home loans,” Tindell said.
Habitat will earn dollars for each pair of shoes donated. The shoes will then be redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network of microenterprise partners in developing nations such as Haiti, Honduras and other nations in Central America and Africa, Tindell said.
“The only requirement is that it must be a matched pair,” she said.
Drop-off points are the ReStore and Alabama Power, she said.
“We’re excited to kick off this shoe drive. Habitat has been fortunate to have the support of the people of Escambia County, and we are hoping for more of that support during this drive,” she said.”
“We know that most people have extra shoes in their closets they’d like to donate to us and help those less fortunate become self-sufficient,” she said. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”
To date, the local organization has built, renovated or repaired more than 20 homes in the county. On Sunday, the group held a dedication ceremony in Flomaton for a recently renovated home, Tindell said.
Melody Blackmon and her daughter, McKinley, are the proud new owners of a home on Evelyn Street in Flomaton.
Tindell said the organization hopes to find a new family through an upcoming selection process. Meetings should be organized within the next two months, she said.
For more information, contact Tindell at 251.867.0095 or via email at lisa@escambiahfh.org.
The Habitat ReStore is located at 1606 Douglas Avenue in Brewton.