New York City Council Member Leroy Comrie announced today that he will be lending his support to a local humanitarian effort to solicit donations of footwear for poor children living in rural townships of South Africa. The shoe drive is the brainchild of Global Soles, a New York City-based not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing footwear for underprivileged youth in third world nations across the globe. South Africa will be the site of their inaugural distribution.
 
Global Soles is requesting donations of new footwear for boys and girls, ages 3 to 18 years old, including sneakers, black dress shoes, rain and casual boots for school, church and play. For adult women and men, they are collecting comfortable rubber sole shoes, sneakers, as well as rain and casual boots. On August 9, 2008, board members of Global Soles will arrive in Johannesburg and visit various townships in Soweto to deliver the variety of footwear to children and adults.
 
"After hearing about the efforts of Global Soles, I was moved to lend my voice and energy to this initiative," stated Council Member Comrie. "When I think about youth in our community who place so much value in buying and wearing $100 sneakers, and compare that with children in Africa who walk barefoot to school on dirt roads, I believe that we can and ought to make a statement of values by making a contribution to this humanitarian effort.
 
"I am humbly asking all my Queens neighbors and people of goodwill across the city to make a donation. If you're going to purchase a brand new pair of shoes this summer, perhaps you spend a little less money and buy an extra inexpensive pair to contribute to this worthy cause. Maybe you have a pair of fresh shoes in the back of the closet that you purchased but never wore. Or perhaps, like me, you are a parent who shops at a local shoe store which famously has 'buy one, get half off on a second pair' sales. Perhaps you buy one pair for one child here and another pair for a child in Africa. We certainly live in tough economic times, but we are also citizens of the world and capable of helping our underprivileged brothers and sisters in the motherland."
 
Anyone interested in contributing can drop off shoes at Council Member Comrie's district office, located at 113-43 Farmers Boulevard in St. Alban's, Queens. The office is open Mondays through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.