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Neighboring South Hill businesses work together
on shoe drive |
July 15, 2015 |
by McKenzie MacDonald
With the start of a new school year quickly
approaching, ET Wireless and Bonners Ferry’s
local food bank (Community Action Partnership)
are working hard to make sure that every child
has a new pair of shoes to wear on the first
day. “We are hoping to give as many kids as we
can a new pair of shoes,” said Joy Schmitz at ET
Wireless. A similar collaborative effort by
these two businesses was a great success during
Christmas time, when their Tree of Joy program
provided gifts to at least two-dozen local
children in need.
Here is how it works:
Liz Bigsby-Sanborn at Community Action
Partnership sees a lot of families as they come
in and make use of her facility. “It’s a great
way to find people that have a need,” she said.
Her role in the drive is to give families
information about the program the businesses are
working on. Interested families provide her with
their children’s information (name, shoe size,
etc.).
At the end of July, all of the sign-ups will be
taken to Joy at ET Wireless. Joy has an
agreement with Larson’s downtown and will be
purchasing brand new shoes for the children
signed up. Where does the money come from? Each
quarter, Joy budgets a percentage of the sales
from her store and donates it back to the
community. This quarter, her donation will go
toward this shoe drive. “As people continue to
support me, I continue to give back to the
community,” said Joy. She is very excited that
this program is being done locally 100%. While
Joy will be chipping in for the new shoes,
donations from community members are also
encouraged.
Once the shoes are purchased, they will be
distributed a few days before the start of the
new school year. While there is no specific
target number for pairs of shoes, the two
businesses do have a goal in mind. The goal is
to “make sure that we will get shoes for every
kid that signs up,” said Liz. “It’s a wonderful,
wonderful program.”
To donate to the effort, call Joy at ET
Wireless: (208) 267-7100.
If interested in receiving a pair of shoes,
contact Liz at Community Action Partnership:
(208) 267-3663
Both businesses are located at 6665 Main St. in
Bonners Ferry.
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