Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Track and Field Team collected sneakers and Shoes from November 5th to the  19th for the Soles 4 Souls Charity.  In all, the Track and Field team collected approximately 120 pairs of sneakers that were donated to the charity.

Soles4Souls, the international shoe charity, is ramping up efforts to help individuals in need this fall.  St. Thomas Aquinas College Track and Field Team is getting on board to help the shoeless. Individuals can help by donating some of the 700 MILLION pairs of shoes thrown away by Americans each year.  

By recycling your gently worn shoes with the charity, the discarded footwear will be given a second chance at life.  By being redistributed through the charity's international and domestic partners, millions of children and adults could receive their first pair of shoes.

Soles4Souls has distributed more than 19 million pairs of shoes around the world with the help of partners like St. Thomas Aquinas College Track and Field Team.  With 1 in every 4 adults in the world living in extreme poverty, basic necessities like shoes are simply unavailable.  In developing nations like Haiti, Honduras, and Tanzania, walking is the main form of transportation, and shoes can protect a person's feet from cuts and infections.  Also, children in other parts of the world cannot attend school without a pair of shoes.

"We have always been proud to say we do our part to keep footwear out of landfills, and hopefully put them on the feet of someone in need," said Buddy Teaster, CEO of Soles4Souls.  "Please join St. Thomas Aquinas College Track and Field Team in this initiative to collect gently worn footwear, and possibly improve the quality of someone's daily life."

Provided by the St. Thomas Aquinas Sports Information Department.