COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Bags of shoes of all sizes, shapes and colors filled the office of The 712 Initiative in Council Bluffs following its shoe drive last month.
Lindsey Rodgers, the executive director, said the sorting process has already begun.
“We've had volunteers and employees sorting these shoes,” she said. “We’re so thankful for that because there's thousands of pairs of shoes here.”
Rodgers said an official shoe count will happen once the bags of shoes have been collected and sorted.
The gently used shoes that were collected will go to developing countries to be resold, while others will be recycled.
Donated shoes came in from all across Council Bluffs and beyond. Rodgers said an Omaha woman made a single donation of more than 300 pairs of shoes from her collection.
Rodgers said the process of sorting all the shoes will take the work of volunteers.
“Once they start loading up that trailer, that’s when we’ll count each bag and we’ll get that final shoe count,” she said.
Rodgers said this year’s collection is the best response for the shoe recycle drive she’s ever seen.
