Missouri Rotary donates truckload of shoes to Buckner

DALLAS—Rotary Clubs in northern Missouri donated a truckload of new shoes to Buckner International and its Shoes for Orphan Souls emphasis.

“Their donation means that more than 17,000 children in need will receive shoes and be able to go to school. Wherever they walk, their feet will be protected from disease and injury,” Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls Director Rachel Wallis said. “They’ll know that they are valued and loved.”

The 17,377 pairs of shoes will serve children in Guatemala and Mexico.

Rotarians in northern Missouri donated more than 17,000 pairs of shoes to Buckner International. (Photo / Valerie Anderson)For the last 15 years, the northern Missouri Rotary district has partnered with Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. This year’s donation put the cumulative total at 287,905 pairs of shoes.

“There’s kind of a natural passion that Rotarians and members of Rotary Clubs have to serve internationally, and this project, I think, speaks to them when they think about something as basic as a new pair of shoes,” Missouri Rotarian Larry Lunsford said.

In addition to the shoes collected, the Rotary donated more than $10,000.  In the last 15 years, the Rotary has raised and donated $127,301 for Buckner International’s global humanitarian aid projects.

“We are so grateful for the Missouri Rotary,” Wallis said. “And that’s just the beginning. When we can give a child a pair of shoes, we can start a relationship and know else to serve them.”