NATIONAL GO BAREFOOT DAY

NATIONAL GO BAREFOOT DAY June 1

NATIONAL GO BAREFOOT DAY

National Go Barefoot Day on June 1 gives you an opportunity to kick off your shoes and run barefoot through the cool grass! More importantly, it is a day to help support a charity that provides millions of underprivileged children all around the world with shoes.

#GoBarefootDay

You might be surprised to know that shoes are one of the hardest things to get in poorer countries. People in these countries can make their own clothes. A durable pair of shoes, however, is much more difficult to make. This one of many reasons that millions of children in poverty-stricken countries go without.

The average American woman has 27 pairs of shoes in your closet. Men own much fewer pairs of shoes, averaging 12 pairs of shoes. Women love to coordinate their shoes with their outfit. Some women have the same shoe in different colors giving more options to choose from based on occasion.

A Good Fit

Properly fitted shoes are also important. Wearing shoes that fit wrong are bad for your feet. In fact, we recommend and encourage you to get rid of any shoes that don't fit properly. Donating your shoes not only help your feet health, but they also help someone else in need of shoes because you put usable footwear on those who need it most.

Shoes are hard to come by in many countries, especially good shoes that protect feet from rocks and harsh elements. Even if they have access to a pair of shoes, they may be handed down, worn or ill-fitting. Unfortunately, many people who do own shoes may only wear them on special occasions. It’s amazing what a difference a pair of shoes can make. In fact, donating gently-used shoes can help help with confidence of the receiver. Plus, donating shoes keeps them out of the landfill and reduces the amount of "stuff" already found in landfills.

Why Shoe Donation Matters

If you need even motivation to donate your gently used shoes, consider these facts:

  1. An estimated 300 million children around the world don’t have any shoes at all.

  2. Children who only have one pair of shoes will quickly outgrow them.

  3. Children without shoes can’t attend school as they are usually part of the uniform.

  4. Physical activity is improved, including walking, running, jumping and playing.

  5. Shoes offer protection for the feet. Without shoes, children are more susceptible to getting soil-transmitted diseases.

  6. Shoes protect the feet from tetanus, infections, and jiggers, which are small parasitic fleas. These fleas enter the body through the soles of the feet. In just 10 days, these tiny fleas grow to 2,000 times their original size, which causes pain and difficult walking.

SHARE YOUR SHOES

Now is a good time to clean out your closets and donate a pair or two of gently used shoes to a charitable organization in your area. You can help make a difference is the life of someone who doesn't have a good pair of shoes.

  1. Hold a shoe drive in your community where you collect gently used shoes to give away.

  2. Learn more about why going without shoes can be detrimental for a child’s health, education, and wellbeing.

  3. Visit the Soles4Souls organization for more information on how you can help bring shoes to children across the world.

  4. Help spread the word and spread awareness on social media using the hashtag #GoBarefootDay.

GO BAREFOOT DAY HISTORY

Soles4Souls created National Go Barefoot Day after the 2004 Tsunami disaster to support those affected by the event. Since 2005, over 56 million pairs of shoes have been donated worldwide since 2005.