The Tarkio Rotary Club donated its collection of 201 pairs of new shoes, 36 pairs of new socks and 13 pairs of new shoe laces for Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls during the recent Rotary District 6040 “Shoes Caravan” conducted on April 25-28 throughout North Missouri.
In partnership with the other 55 Rotary Clubs in Missouri Rotary District 6040, a total of 15,600 pairs of shoes, 4,100 pairs of socks, 750 pairs of shoelaces, and nearly $10,000 were collected for vulnerable children and orphans in the United States, Guatemala and Peru. This humanitarian aid was collected during the a 22 stop Shoes Caravan, starting in Higginsville, Missouri, on April 25 and ending in Macon, Missouri, on April 28.
Missouri Rotarians, in­cluding the Tarkio Rotary Club, remains the largest single contributing organization to the Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls campaign to date, collecting a total of 320,000 pairs of shoes and $152,000 in cash since the first shoe drive in 2001.
“The people of Tarkio really opened their hearts to help children in need,” said Jayne Scott, president of the Tarkio Rotary Club. “As Rotarians, we want to provide service to our local community and to people in need around the world. A simple pair of children’s shoes may not look powerful, but they can make a big difference in the lives of vulnerable children and orphans around the world.
The Shoes Caravan stopped in Tarkio on Friday, April 27, to pick up the Tarkio Rotary Club’s contribution. Local Rotarians gathered at the US Bank to help load the shoes. United Parcel Service and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway partnered with Rotary District 6040 to provide transportation for the collection, from the final caravan stop in Macon to the Buckner Center for Humanitarian Aid in Dallas, Texas.
Scott Collins, a representative of the Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls program, said Buckner is “extremely grateful” for the shoe donation this year, as well as for all of the donations they have received from Rotary District 6040 in the past.
Shoes for Orphan Souls®, the largest humanitarian aid project of Buckner International, provides new shoes and socks to orphans and vulnerable children in the United States and throughout the world.
The Tarkio Rotary Club meets Tuesdays at 12:00 noon at the Atchison County Nutrition Center in downtown Tarkio. All are welcome. Come and be a part of something much larger than yourself.