Giving Heart and Sole to Haitian Children

(CBS)  For the past 2 weeks, 7-year-old Zachary Baldwin has been obsessed with shoes. Along with his classmates at this Wadley, Alabama school, Zachary has been frantically collecting shoes by the box-load to donate to the victims of the Haiti earthquake.

From sneakers to sandals, the kids know it's not the sole that matters, but the difference made in the souls wearing them.

"You just need to have something on your feet it doesn't matter what brand they are," said Karion Birdsong.

CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports the shoes collected by the students wind up in a warehouse in nearby Roanoke, Alabama - the base of operation for Soles 4 Souls.

Soles for Souls

The shoes become part of an international relief effort started after the 2004 Tsunami. Soles for Souls now gives away a pair of shoes every nine seconds, that's 3.5 million every year. A million more are now pledged to Haiti.

"We know shoes aren't the first thing they need," said Paul Wilson, president of Soles for Souls. "But they're the foundation to rebuild their lives."

Worldwide, more than 300 million children live without shoes - roughly the same number thrown away in American landfills every year.

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Giving Kids Their First Pair of Shoes

From Texas to Tennessee the demand to recycle old shoes is growing - even smaller charities, like Chicago's "Share Your Soles," are making strides.

Share Your Soles founder Mona Purdy - known as the queen of soles - went to Haiti over the weekend to hand deliver the shoes she's collected.

Share Your Soles

Back in Alabama the kids hope to make a difference from the ground up.

[SIKCHUTNAY]

RESPONSE TO MSWOLFSTOCK:: HEY SH!! " GIVE A MAN FOOD..FEED HIM FOR A DAY/ TEACH HIM TO FARM..FEED HIM FOR A LIFETIME" BUT HELL WITH PHILOSOPHY! YOU ARE DONATING A PAIR OF FREAKIN "MAGIC SHOES" ALBEIT OLD ONES

[SIKCHUTNAY]

RESPONSE TO MSWOLFSTOCK:: I AM SURE YOU WILL SEND YOUR OLD/WORN CRAPPY SHOES...TAKE A BIG TAX DEDUCTION FOR THEM..PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK..BRAG TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT THE WONDERFUL THING YOU HAVE DONE THEN GO OUT FOR A FAT STEAK DINNER AFTER HAVING SAVED SO MANY!!! SH

[SIKCHUTNAY]

RESPONSE TO MSWOLFSTOCK:: MY POINT IS WHY NOT SEND THE SHOES TO PARTS OF OUR OWN COUNTRY WHERE THEY ARE DESPARATELY NEEDED!! WHY NOT SEND SOMETHING USEFULL INSTEAD OF SOMETHING UN-NATURAL?? THEIR CHILDREN HAVE PADDED FEET AND SHOES WOULD ALSO INTERFERE WITH THEIR CLIMBING ABILITIES, FORCING THEM TO WEAR SHOES MAY BE ABUSIVE!! SH!

[twistedsister1959]

screwedup-Wrong. Over 50 countries including (God forbid) Muslim countries offered help to New Orleans or donated money. The administration had a total breakdown on what to do with foreign aid. In-kind donations never accepted, supplies left to spoil in the heat and flat out refusals were given. Thanks but no-thanks was all that was said. This article is over a pair of shoes headed to the garbage and teaching children about charity. If you don't want to give away a pair of shoes just throw them away; don't begrudge anyone who wants to help the only way they can. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113_2.html

[Screwedupcountry]

To the newscast from 2 days ago. It hit me in the gut that we are bringing 2000 of Haiti people to our country. What are we doing with them? Feeding them,clothing and giving them Jobs? when our country is at 10% jobless rate we need more people in this country to take jobs. Is Obama off his rocker. Yet Maggie plays it all happy we are bringing these people into the US. There are still mpeople in New Orleans that don't have shelter but a country that has an outragouse unemployment rate we are all of a sudden we care about them. What about our unemployed. yeah who cares as long as we spend money in Haiti. All the interviews with them say we are not doing enough for them. well maybe we should pull out and let them fend for themselves. Noone help us during Katrinna . If a hurricane hits the coast of SC is the US going to wisk 2000 people a day to hawaii a daty and pay for it. Maggie don't smile and act like we are doing something nice. No one helps us when we have problems it's not a good thing for a fallen country before hand. Ask other countries to help us cause we can't help our selves.
I feel sorry for the people of Haiti...but when they say we treat them like animals to line up for food and we are bringing people that a month ago wouldn't be considered to enter the US I HAVE TO SAY IT IS A SORRY TIME FOR AMERICA. And for Maggie to be happy and smiling about it is sickening. Maggie go to California and visit those people and even N.O. see how our country is before you worry about others.

[SIKCHUTNAY]

AND WHAT ARE THE CHILDREN OF HAITI TO DO WITH THEM?/ THROW THEM ON THE BAR-BEE?

[websurfer73]

This is pretty cool. My kids just did a Soles 4 Souls shoe drive and they are a great organization. I'm happy to see them on the news and that all the great shoes we donated from our closet are heading somewhere they can be used. I know that lots of aid organizations want cash only, but if you have the distribution network and you're already going with medical supplies and water.... this makes terrific sense. I'm proud to have been a part of it and now I can't wait to do more.