The Tarkio Rotary Club and all of the Rotary Clubs of District 6040 in Missouri are again sponsoring a shoe drive in support of the Buckner Orphan Care International “Shoes for Orphan Souls” Project for 2018. Tarkio Rotary Club is collecting shoes to be delivered to its district collection point in Macon, Missouri, on April 28. From Macon the shoes will be shipped via UPS to the Buckner warehouses in Dallas, Texas, for distribution to orphanages in Guatemala, Peru and Puerto Rico. Since 1995 the project has collected and delivered over 3 million pairs of shoes to orphan children in over 80 countries. The Missouri Rotary District 6040 Clubs have pledged approximately 20,000 pairs of shoes to this project or 10 pairs of shoes per Rotarian. In order to meet and exceed this goal, your help is needed.
What can you do to help? Students are asked to bring one (or more if possible) pair of shoes or $5.00 (or more if possible) to Suzanne Brought in the high school principal’s office. Shoes may be purchased from the sale racks at Dollar General, Wal-Mart, Shoe Carnival, Payless or other shoe stores for approximately $5.00 or less. Prices may vary from store to store. By telling the shoe department manager that you are working with the Rotary “Shoes for Orphan Souls” Project, you may sometimes be able to buy shoes at a reduced price.  Flip flops, sandals, new shoes, socks and shoe laces ($5.00 value) of any size or cash are acceptable. Athletic shoes sizes Youth 4 to Adult 9 are preferred. Sorry, used shoes cannot be accepted.
If students bring shoes, please write their grade level (grade 7-12) on the box. If paying by cash or check (payable to Tarkio Rotary Club), please put the contribution in a sealed envelope with the student’s name and grade on it. Deadline is April 20.
The Tarkio Rotary Club will sponsor a pizza party for lunch for the grade level which contributes the most to this worthwhile project. The minimum number of pairs of shoes for a class to qualify for the pizza party is at least an average of one pair of shoes per student in the class. For example, if a class has 20 students in it, it would have to donate a minimum of 20 pairs to qualify for the pizza party.
Also, community members may contribute by dropping off their shoes at the high school or the First Baptist or Assembly of God Churches. If shoes are collected at other churches or locations, please deliver them to the Baptist Church. The Tarkio Rotary Club, on behalf of the orphan children of Guatemala, Peru and Puerto Rico, thanks you for your help.