Reposted from The South Jersey Times online:

September 17, 2014 at 7:40 AM, updated September 18, 2014 at 4:31 PM

Delsea Regional School District Music Department is conducting a shoe collection drive now through Nov. 15 to raise funds to cover festival fees for middle school and high school performing ensembles, while benefiting micro-enterprise ventures in developing nations and keeping old shoes out of local landfills.

Individuals can help by donating gently worn, used shoes at either Delsea Regional High School or Middle School.

In the U.S. alone, approximately 630 million pairs of shoes are thrown away per year. The materials used to manufacture a pair of shoes are created from chemical compounds that will create health hazards if left to disintegrate openly or in landfills.

All donated shoes will be redistributed to microenterprise partners through Funds2Orgs and used in developing nations for impoverished people to start, maintain and grow a unique business opportunity to feed, clothe and house their families.

“We are very excited to be conducting this shoe drive in South Jersey” said Vincent Du Beau, high school band director. “This campaign will raise funds that directly benefit our district bands and choirs and will be used for the purpose of offsetting student costs for participation in musical festival performances. The additional advantages of diverting shoes from the waste stream to create commerce and sustainability in peoples’ lives make this a win-win for everyone.”

The district’s goal is to collect 2,500 pairs of shoes.

Anyone interested in learning more about this drive or participating in their own shoe drive, contact Du Beau at 856-694-0100, ext. 386 or emailvdubeau@delsearegional.us.

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