Used shoe donations are being collected until Dec. 7.
By KRYSTAL NURSE
The Sun
Mantua resident Marlene Laneader and the Harrison Township Environmental Commission and Green Team are teaming up, once again, to collect shoes for those in need before the winter season kicks in.
The shoe drive is in its second year, and Laneader said she started it last year after receiving multiple requests for footwear.
“We’d go into the city every day and we’d feed and clothe the homeless from noon to 1 p.m. on Sundays, and one of the biggest requested items are shoes,” said Laneader, referencing herself and Elizabeth Sarson, environmental commission board member. “Liz wanted to get involved, and she lives in Mullica Hill, and said she wanted to be a part of this. We had over 400 shoes.”
“We wanted to focus on what the needs of the community were,” said Sarson. “We wanted to address that and how to reduce the amount of landfill we have. We wanted to take something that many people have in their homes that may end up in the trash.”
The success of last year helped the two restart the drive, especially after Laneader saw, firsthand, the effect the donations had on the recipients, who were mostly in Camden. She added anyone can see how many people don’t have shoes in the city by driving down Broadway.
“When you see new faces and get someone off the streets and into rehab, it feels good,” said Laneader. “Last year, we got four kids off the street, and that makes me smile. For something as little as putting shoes on people’s feet, is happiness.”
Laneader chose Camden because she was born and raised there and felt a need to give back to the residents.
People can drop off used sneakers, boots or any kind of winter-related footwear at the Harrison Township Municipal Building and Harrison Township and Pleasant Valley elementary schools.
“Involving the schools is big because it sends a message at a young age that just because you’re done with something, doesn’t mean that item may not have value in someone’s hands, or feet in this case,” said Sarson.
Laneader said there’s no specific goal for the number of shoes collected.
Used shoes are a priority for the drive because they are something that everyone has that they no longer use.
“We’re not looking for new shoes,” said Sarson. “We know too many people who have a closet filled with used shoes and kids outgrow shoes very quickly. They’ll have something as small scrapes or tears, but that wouldn’t matter to someone who needs them.”
The collection ends on Dec. 7, right before the colder weather moves into the area, and, at that point, all shoes are given to Laneader to donate to various places in Camden, such as the Ronald McDonald House and H.B. Wilson Elementary School, among others.
“You see this during the holidays and after natural disasters and I think, innately, everyone wants to help, but they don’t know exactly where to start,” said Sarson. “But they’re hoping that whatever they give can make a large impact on someone’s life.”
“I can’t imagine a second-grader being homeless and doing homework without a coat,” said Laneader. “I struggle from month to month but I have warmth and have shelter. It’s a whole different world down 676 (main thoroughfare into Camden), and it’s not always caused by addiction. It’s a whole different world, and everyone has a story to tell.”
The drive was deliberately scheduled to end after Lights on Main (a major seasonal event occurring in Mullica Hill in November) to provide people without kids in the elementary schools the opportunity to learn about the charitable cause during the holiday event.
Sarson added if there’s a constant, yearly need for shoes, the drive will continue to take place as often as possible, but if that need changes, they’ll adjust accordingly.
