Maine Sport Outfitters is excited to recognize National Shoe the World Day with a shoe drive benefitting the Knox County Homeless Coalition. National Shoe the World Day, which falls on March 15th, is a day that brings awareness to the 500 million children, teens and adults around the world who don’t own a pair of shoes. Living a daily life without proper protection on your feet can lead to innumerable problems and health issues. Needless to say, shoes keep people healthy, happy and thriving.
According to Becca Gildred, Director of Development at the Knox County Homeless Coalition, more than half of the adults they work with “do not have access to a reliable vehicle so good shoes are a necessity, though not often a reality.” She also added that, unlike the national trend of homelessness mostly affecting single adults, about half of the population that the Knox County Homeless Coalition serves are children. Volunteer Coordinator, Eileen McGuigan went on to say that their donation center, which provides free items such as clothing, footwear and bedding to those in need, is “usually short on footwear with good life left in them.”
Maine Sport Outfitters’ Rockport and Camden locations will be collecting gently used or new shoes during their Shoe the World Week: Monday, March 11th through Sunday, March 17th, 2019. As an incentive and thank you, those who donate a pair of shoes in good or new condition will receive a special $10 coupon, good for a footwear purchase at either Maine Sport location.
About the Knox County Homeless Coalition
Knox County Homeless Coalition, founded in 2014, is the only dedicated homeless organization serving Knox, Waldo and part of Lincoln counties offering comprehensive case management to more than 600 individuals annually. They also manage the Hospitality House family shelter—a live-in facility for up to 22 in Rockport. Their mission is to break the cycles of poverty and homelessness in Mid-coast Maine, offering a holistic wraparound approach to helping vulnerable people build productive and self-sustaining lives. Everything they do is delivered with respect, dignity and genuine caring, delivering on the promise of home, help, and hope.
Since opening their doors in 2014 KCHC has maintained a 90-95% success rate for sustainable independence for clients who remain active through their complete program. The transportation program, added in 2015, helps remove one of the most critical barriers to rural independence. The newest program of KCHC, The Landing Place, is a highly-relational, comprehensive program for unaccompanied and high-risk young people with youth-specific case management, outreach and a youth center located on Park St. in downtown Rockland.
