KINGSTON -- Last month, Newswatch 16 introduced you to a shoe-collecting drive at one school in Luzerne County.
Several weeks later, the stands of the school gymnasium at Wyoming Valley West Middle School are overflowing with bags upon bags of shoes.
"We have basketball shoes, we have cleats, slippers, we have everything," exclaimed student Anthony Severns.
Organizers are closing in on 6,000 pairs of shoes as the collection drive in the classroom comes to a close.
"It makes me happy to think that all the kids that don't have shoes are getting them," said 6th grader Angelina Pellam.
The gently used shoes are bought by a nonprofit, with the money raised going to the school. The nonprofit then resells the shoes in developing countries at a discount to those who need them.
"We're helping our school and helping others at the same time," said 8th grader Madi Heckman.
The school initially hoped to collect about 2,500 pairs of shoes, which they achieved in just three weeks. Since then, they have doubled their collection and then some.
A fundraiser unlike any other that Beverly Thomas has seen at the school.
"Our children had to put out nothing," said Beverly Thomas, a reading specialist at the school, and the organizer behind the drive. "It didn't cost them a dime. All they had to do was go into their cupboards of things they no longer needed, donate, and we're repurposing these. It brings goosebumps and I'm just amazed that we can make more than $2,500 and it didn't cost anybody a dime."
The shoes are expected to be loaded up in a trailer in the next couple of weeks. While the classroom competition is over, you can still donate any shoes by dropping them off at the middle school or any of the Wyoming Valley West Elementary schools, along with the school district central office, the high school, King’s College Sheehy-Farmer Campus Center Lobby, Vive Health and Fitness, Frederick Dental Group, Cherry St. Bible Church, Temple B'nai B'rith, Temple Israel and Larksville U.M. Church.
