Through the end of August, 517 Subs is collecting new athletic shoes and socks for Buckner International’s humanitarian project Shoes for Orphan Souls, which provides them to orphans and other vulnerable children all over the world.
Since 1999, 517 Subs owner Sara Holmes said Buckner has distributed more than 3 million pairs of shoes to 82 countries. Hundreds of those pairs came from Signal Mountain residents. 517 Subs has been collecting shoes for the organization for about a decade. In 2015 alone, the restaurant collected more than 200 pairs.
Holmes said athletic – as opposed to dress – shoes and socks in sizes for children and teenagers are needed, adding that the organization requests that donations not be in infant sizes.
“I think about my children, who have so many shoes, and can’t imagine them not having shoes to wear,” she said, as to why this is a cause she feels is important to support.
Holmes added that children who do not wear shoes are more likely to get diseases and parasites. Also, since many schools require that children wear shoes, shoes can give children access to an education, she said.