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Your Soles to Reach Their Souls

December 15, 2025

Your Soles: Funding Opportunity to Reach Souls

It only takes a quick internet search to find some truly staggering statistics about shoe consumption and need around the world. The contrast between abundance and absence is stark, revealing a global disparity that is easy to overlook in our daily lives.

Here are the numbers that might make you pause:

  • 2.4 BILLION: the number of pairs of shoes sold annually in the United States alone.
  • 7 pairs: The average number each American purchases annually.
  • 1 BILLION people (including 300 million children): The number of people who do not own a single pair of shoes.

This vast gap highlights a significant need for basic footwear, which is far more than a fashion item; it’s a critical tool for health, mobility, and opportunity. Lack of proper footwear can prevent children from attending school and adults from working, perpetuating cycles of poverty within families and communities.

Bridging the Gap with Your New and Gently Worn Shoes

Bridging the gap is as easy as donating your new and gently worn shoes to The Tide ministry for our annual Your Soles ~ Their Souls Shoe Drive which kicks off on January 2nd and goes through March 31st each year.

By donating shoes, you are not just clearing out your closet; you are helping people around the world in two different, very tangible ways as you turn your extra pairs of shoes into life-changing opportunities for others:

  1. Economic Empowerment: The shoes collected are picked up by another organization, and based on their weight, funds are provided to us. These shoes are then sent to developing countries around the world to help microentrepreneurs set up small shoe businesses, providing sustainable income and improving lives.
  2. Literacy and Education: We use the funds to help offset the cost of Gospel Outreach Literacy Classes for villagers in India who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn how to read and write in their own language, also helping to improve and change lives.

The Process Is Simple: Get Involved Today!

We invite you to get involved in this win-win effort! As you clean out your closets during this holiday season to make room for the items you will purchase and receive, please consider donating any new and gently worn shoes you are no longer utilizing. You can help us reach our 2026 goal of 10,000 pairs by:

  • Gathering – Set up your own collection site or become a community drop off location.
  • Promoting – Tell others about the shoe drive by sharing social media posts and other communications.
  • Donating – Clean out your own closets and take your shoes to The Tide office or one of the many other collection sites throughout the community.

Turn your extra pairs of shoes into the opportunity of a lifetime for others! Visit thetide.org/shoes for more information on how you can get involved. Every pair counts and is very appreciated!