Back to school time is right around the corner, and you can help young children in the community get ready by participating in the third annual shoe collection drive coordinated by alumni affiliates at The University of Toledo.
During August, gym shoes and dress shoes in youth and small adult sizes, as well as school supplies, such as pencils, pens, paper, backpacks and tissues, will be collected to help students get a head start this year.
Shoes can be gray, black, brown or white. Tennis shoes or dress shoes should be in children’s sizes 1-6 or toddler sizes 10-13. A good rule of thumb is the shoe size is the same as the grade level for the child.
“With so many backpack drives already in operation, we wanted to do something different,” said Tammy Talmage, vice president of the Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service Alumni Affiliate. “So many children have torn shoes or no proper shoes for gym class. We saw a definite need that we could help fill, and we are happy to continue our efforts to do so.”
The alumni affiliates for the Judith Herb College of Education, Health Science and Human Service and College of Engineering are coordinating the drive.
Donations can be dropped off throughout the month Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Driscoll Alumni Center Room 2001.
A donation drive event, the Shoe Tree Social, is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29, at the Dorr Street Café, 5243 Dorr St. Drop off your donations, meet the members of the participating affiliate groups, and sample some free appetizers provided by the Dorr Street Café.
The shoe collection drive is in addition to the mitten and hat drive held in the winter and a breakfast bar drive in the spring that the alumni affiliates hold to support students in need.
For more information, visit www.toledoalumni.org or call 419.530.2586.
