Finish Line Collecting Shoes and Monetary Donations for Soles4Souls®, the Shoe Charity
Finish Line announced today the continuation of its partnership with Soles4Souls, the international shoe charity, to collect new and gently used shoes at the company’s 670 store locations. In addition, Finish Line is expanding the program by accepting monetary donations for Soles4Souls in its stores. Customers can donate at Finish Line stores from now until July 17th. The collection effort has been timed to coincide with Soles4Souls 3rd annual “National Barefoot Week” which kicked off on June 1st.
Soles4Souls, a Nashville, Tennessee based not-for-profit organization focused on providing free shoes to those in need around the world, is joining forces with Finish Line and the general public to once again distribute more than 50,000 pairs of shoes within the United States and raise funds for additional distributions. Soles4Souls, an organization that commonly responds to natural disasters all around the world, is currently assisting residents in its hometown of Nashville and surrounding areas by donating 85,000 pairs of shoes to flood victims in Tennessee.
Finish Line has begun collecting monetary donations in an effort to assist Soles4Souls in reaching their stated goal of providing 1 million pairs of shoes to victims of the Haitian earthquake. All funds collected (100 percent) will go directly to benefit Soles4Souls and its charitable efforts. "Finish Line has taken on our cause as their own for the past 3 years, and we are extremely proud to partner with them once again to reach thousands of people who are suffering," said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls. "Their generosity directly benefits people who need our assistance, and we invite everyone to stop by a Finish Line location to become personally involved," he said.
During the past three years, Finish Line has collected more than 250,000 pairs of new or gently used shoes for Soles4Souls to distribute at home and abroad. “Finish Line is proud to support the mission of Soles4Souls as we work together throughout the year to help the less fortunate among us,” said Glenn Lyon, Finish Line CEO.
About Finish Line
The Finish Line, Inc. is a premium athletic footwear store and one of the nation’s largest mall-based specialty retailers, offering a large selection of performance and everyday sport footwear, apparel and accessories for men, women and kids. The Finish Line, Inc. is publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol FINL. The company operates 670 Finish Line stores in 47 states and offers online shopping at www.finishline.com.
About Soles4Souls
Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. We distribute these shoes, free of charge, to people in need around the world. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 10 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently distributing one pair every 9 seconds). The shoes have been distributed in 125 countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Nepal and the United States. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.