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Gallery Furniture, Astros Foundation and Buckner International team up on August shoe drive

Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale held a news conference today to discuss Gallery Furniture’s collaboration with Buckner International and the Astros Foundation on a Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls® community shoe drive.

All three Gallery Furniture stores will host drop-off locations from Aug. 3 through Aug. 24 for new shoes benefiting vulnerable children in Houston and internationally. Every donation of new athletic shoes earns the donor one voucher for an Astros game. Ticket vouchers are redeemable for one of three designated home games, while supplies last.

“Working with Buckner and the Astros Foundation offers Gallery Furniture an opportunity to further our work in the community and show the world how charitable and generous Houstonians are,” said McIngvale, who is known around Houston for his philanthropic deeds.

In addition, anyone who donates new shoes and makes a purchase at any Gallery Furniture location will be entered for a chance to throw the first pitch at the Astros’ home game on Sept. 6, 2019.

Throughout the drive, current and former Astros players will make appearances at Gallery Furniture stores to meet fans and support the charitable cause. Appearances will be announced on Gallery Furniture’s Twitter and Facebook pages and Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls’ Twitter and Facebook pages.

“The Astros organization is committed to making the city of Houston a better place, which is why our foundation and front office are excited to team with Buckner International and Gallery Furniture and our players are excited to help collect new shoes for kids,” said Twila Carter, executive director of the Astros Foundation and SVP of community affairs.

The shoes collected during the drive will provide hope for children living in orphanages and impoverished communities where Buckner offers a variety of holistic services. Through foster care, empowerment programs, transitional care and humanitarian aid, Buckner supports children and families around Texas and in countries such as the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Kenya, Mexico and Peru.

Thirty percent of the shoes collected by Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls remain in Texas.

Each pair of donated shoes for children and teens must be new, and the greatest need is for sizes Youth 4 to Adult 9. Cash donations are also accepted and will help provide new shoes as well as cover distribution costs. 

“A new pair of shoes can change the life of a child and give them a brighter future,” said Shawn Spurrier, assistant director of Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls. “Gallery Furniture and the Astros Foundation are making a huge impact, as the shoes they collect will help kids attend school, protect them against disease and injury, and give them confidence and hope.”

More information about the shoe drive is available at GalleryFurniture.com or Buckner.org/HoustonShoeDrive.

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