Please consider donating your gently worn shoes to people in need instead of throwing them away. The folks at Soles4Souls will save these shoes from an 'early death' by cleaning them up and shipping them to people who desperately need them around the world. Thus far, they have distributed over 7 million pairs to people in 125 countries. There are a heck of a lot of people in Haiti and elsewhere who wold be extremely grateful for any pair of shoes that you're currently ignoring in your closet. Anything would be appreciated; flip flops to work boots, they need it all. Any pair your kids grew out of before they even had a chance to wear them out would make a big difference.

It takes roughly a dollar to ship a pair of shoes to the closest Soles4Souls distribution center. If you do not have any shoes to donate and still want to help we would love to have you contribute a dollar to help defray the cost of shipping. We'd love the quarter or dime you found on the floor of your car or in your jacket pocket; any little bit helps. A drop box is available now at Super Shoes in Ellsworth, and there will be one in the registration area at the Flattop 5k in Lamoine.

Thank you to all the people who suggested that we do this. With your encouragement this is getting off the ground. And thanks a million to every single person who takes the time to grab a pair of shoes or some extra change on their way out the door to the Flattop on March 27th!