Soles4Souls

A group of volunteers again is partnering with Soles4Souls to collect gently worn shoes locally.

Earlier this month a memorial walk was held to kick off this year's drive. The Heath Bain Memorial Walk was held at the River Campus to honor a man who made a stop, along with his wife Melissa, in Cape Girardeau last year as part of the Soles4Souls University RV Tour. Heath Bain later died while still on the national tour. Melissa Bain, who was touched by the local memorial, works as travel coordinator for the organization.

Over the past two years, 10,000-plus shoes have been donated from the area. And the group is hoping to continue this trend of generosity this year.

Collection centers this year include the following: St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Marcy's Planet Shoes, HealthPoint Fitness and Southeast Missouri State University, including at the school's regional campuses in Sikeston, Kennett and Malden, Mo. Collection centers also are located in Perryville, Mo., and Portageville, Mo.

This is a good opportunity to donate shoes to those who have real needs for good footwear.

For more information or to volunteer with the drive, which continues through Sunday, call St. Andrew Lutheran Church at 334-3200 or email Cheryl Reinagel at creinagel@semo.edu or Rhonda Weller-Stilson at rstilson@semo.edu. To learn more about Soles4Souls, visit www.soles4souls.org.