The City of Santa Clarita is teaming up with the non-profit agency Soles4Souls Inc. in November to collect and distribute shoes for the Santa Clarita Winter Shelter and Single Mother’s Outreach.

For the month of November, residents are invited to drop off new or “gently worn” shoes at any of the City of Santa Clarita designated sites, which include:

• Santa Clarita City Hall, located at 23920 Valencia Boulevard
• Santa Clarita Activities Center, located at 20880 Centre Pointe Parkway
• Canyon Country Library, located at 18601 Soledad Canyon Road
• Newhall Library, located at 22704 West 9th Street
• Valencia Library, located at 23743 Valencia Boulevard
• and at the Official Santa Clarita Marathon Finish Line on Sunday, November 6.

City employee Susan Caputo, who is an avid runner, is organizing the Santa Clarita shoe collection effort.  Caputo learned about the organization while running the Los Angeles Rock and Roll half marathon and felt Santa Clarita could benefit from a similar effort.

Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking news alerts delivered right to your inbox

“So often we clean our closets and think to donate clothes, toys, and furniture, but shoes are not always on our list,” said Caputo.  “Soles4Souls helps communities like ours gather shoes that are used right here in our City, which could be a real blessing for families in need this holiday season.”

Shoes collected above and beyond those used for local charities will be provided to people living in extreme poverty and those recovering from natural disasters.

The Soles4Souls shoe charity provides one pair of shoes to a person in need every seven seconds. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 13 million pairs of shoes because of the generosity and commitment of people and organizations like those in Santa Clarita.

Soles4Souls and the City of Santa Clarita will be collecting new or gently worn footwear and/or donations to make a tangible difference through the gift of shoes. Every donation will support the charity’s initiative to distribute shoes to those in need.

“With tragedies such as the earthquakes in countries like Haiti and Japan, on top of the enormous needs elsewhere, we can use the estimated 1.5 billion shoes taking up space in the closets of ordinary people to change the world one pair at a time,” said Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Wayne Elsey.

Elsey added, “We need partners like Santa Clarita to get behind Soles4Souls. Donating shoes is one of the most simple, yet profound acts you can do, because it will greatly improve someone’s life in the most difficult of times.”

People and companies interested in donating should visit Santa-Clarita.com for more information or contact Susan Caputo, deputy city clerk, at (661) 255-4334.