2,000 shoes collected for Soles4Souls, part of bar mitzvah project
PHOENIX (KSAZ) - The connection between poverty and shoes is well documented. In fact, 400 million children worldwide don't have access to adequate footwear.
A 12 year-old valley boy is working to change that one sole at a time.
So far, he has 2,000 pairs of shoes collected, and they are lined up in the garage of a valley family.
"I started it from my bar mitzvah project to help kids that don't have shoes, to get a pair, because I love shoes and I want other kids around the world to have a pair of shoes," said Jackson Sriro.
The goal is 2,500 shoes, but it's only taken him a little over a month to collect all of them.
Something that makes Jackson's dad very proud.
"I'm very proud that Jackson was able to take his passion of shoes and turn it into something that's so widespread and so needed in the world today," said Jackson's dad.
They are also collecting other items as well, like a storage space to put the shoes, and clearly more shoes.
If you'd like to donate, you can donate at Orangetheory Fitness locations of Phoenix, Arcadia, and Camelback Colonnade, and the ASU Halal.
They are working to get more donation drop-offs available.
Jackson works with a worldwide organization, Soles4Souls, that has donated over 30 million pairs of shoes to 127 countries so far, to ensure the shoes are going to the right place.
"I feel really good knowing that some kids don't have shoes and now they're going to be able to have a pair," said Jackson.o