MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Inside a trailer behind Girls on the Run Pocono in Hamilton Township, you'll find just about any shoe you can think of.
Snow boots to running sneakers, even sports cleats.
Alison Fennell is the program director. She says the gently worn shoes are part of the organization's 9th annual shoe drive.
"We started putting out shoe bins at local small businesses and collecting shoes. Every summer we start, we run through about the Thanksgiving season collecting shoes, and now it's kinda become this community event," Fennell said.
Girls on the Run Pocono helps girls in 3rd through 5th grades understand themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Jennifer Rufo is one of the coaches.
"I love the program. It has done wonderful things, not only for me as a coach. I've learned so much from my daughter in fifth grade. So I get to coach her and some of her friends, and I feel like it just brings such positivity to third through 5th-grade girls," Rufo of Saylorsburg said.
The organization isn't just accepting sneakers, but anything you can put on your feet, like flip-flops.
All the shoes are bagged and given to Funds2orgs, a non-profit that distributes them to small business owners in need overseas.
Girls on the Run Pocono then get reimbursed for the donation.
Since starting the used shoe drive more than 9 years ago, the organization has raised over $25,000 for girls in the program.
"All of the money that we raise pretty much go to scholarships and coaches. All our coaches are volunteers, and we train them all. So everything that we raise really gets put back into the community," Fennell said.
Girls on the Run Pocono is also having a drop-and-drive event on October 22nd, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., where you can drop off your used shoes and learn more about what they do.
For more information on Girls on the Run Pocono, click here.
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