DALLAS – Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls® has an urgent need for new boys’ and men’s athletic shoes in sizes Youth 1-Adult 10.

Ninety-five percent of the world’s orphans are older than five, yet larger shoes are donated less often than smaller ones, said Ashley Williamson, Shoes for Orphan Souls manager. The initiative currently is running low on shoes for older boys, creating an important gap that needs to be filled.

“Shoes are crucial for youth as they are often required for school, which is critical to their development,” Williamson said. “By giving a pair of larger shoes, we have the opportunity to radically impact a life for years to come as a result of empowering them to receive education.”

Shoes also create avenues for better health and remind vulnerable children that people around the globe care about them. Each day, Buckner shines hope through Shoes for Orphan Souls distributions.

“More than 100,000 pairs of new shoes have already been shipped to children in 19 countries this year and 46,358 pairs of those shoes have benefitted vulnerable children across the United States,” Williamson said. “It is because of the generous support of businesses, churches and individuals that we are able to provide new shoes for children as they head back to school in the United States and around the world.”

To learn more about organizing a shoe drive, visit buckner.org/shoes.