Teen donates 20,000 pairs of shoes to help fight global poverty

Thirteen-year-old Jackson Sriro collected 20,000 pairs of new and used shoes to donate to Soles4Souls, a non-profit that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief to people in need through the distribution of shoes and clothing.

A year-long effort that began initially as a Bar Mitzvah project, Jackson reached 20,000 pairs by placing donation boxes in his local community. He also earned the title of the youngest person in Arizona to host a 20,000-pair shoe drive.

Soles4Souls not only provides short-term relief through providing brand new shoes and clothing donated by retailers and manufacturers, but also creates economic impact and keeps unwanted textiles out of landfills. Every pair of shoes collected by Jackson will be distributed to Soles4Souls' 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.

Through its disaster relief, small business and direct assistance programs, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 30 million pairs of new and used shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states since 2006.

In the future, Jackson plans to travel internationally with Soles4Souls, where he will be able to distribute new shoes with the organization to children in need.

Although Jackson's shoe drive has concluded, Soles4Souls is still accepting donations in Phoenix.

New or gently used shoes can now be dropped off at: Precision Science, 1517 W. Knudsen Drive, Phoenix, AZ, 85027.

Please contact Alex or Donovan at shipping@precisionscience.com to schedule a drop-off time.