Your Old Shoes Could Help Victims in Japan

We all have an old pair of shoes in the closet. The ones that just never fit right or that your little one outgrew before they were worn out.  Now you can donate those barely warn shoes to a great cause.

The Sport Chalet has requested donations of gently worn men’s, women’s and kids’ shoes for victims of the Japan earthquake and tsunami. From now through April 10th, all 55 Sport Chalet locations, including the Torrance store, will be accepting donations.

Sport Chalet is working for the second year in a row with the charity “Soles4Souls.” Last year, members and customers brought in more than 1.3 million shoes to help the victims of Haiti’s earthquake in January 2010.

In a press release, Soles4Souls CEO Wayne Elsey said that the Nashville, TN-based charity was assessing the need for help from Americans to collect shoes for victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

The initial 8.9-magnitude tremor, which struck about 250 miles northeast of Tokyo, was followed by a series of 30 aftershocks with magnitudes of 6 to 7, according to news reports. The BBC said it was Japans’ most powerful earthquake since records began, triggering the massive tsunami.

“As we keep those affected by the tsunami in our thoughts, we cannot forget how important basic necessities — such as shoes — will be for our friends in Japan,” said Elsey.

He founded the company in 2004 after a tsunami hit Southeast Asia. His efforts brought more than a million pairs of shoes to Hurricane Katrina victims in 2005.

Jacqueline Collard, Sport Chalet’s senior marketing manager, said she hopes this year’s response is similar to the group’s previous experience.

“The Sport Chalet family is proud to offer our customers a way to be charitable," Collard said.

If you have more than 500 pairs to donate, you can call a special phone number, 818-359-3295 to have them picked up.