Thousands to go barefoot for 4th Annual Barefoot4Them campaign

NASHVILLE, TN – Thousands of people across the nation have pledged to go barefoot Friday, Oct. 16 to raise awareness for the millions around the world who live without proper footwear.

The Barefoot4Them campaign was created by Nashville, Tenn.-based Soles4Souls, a not for profit global social enterprise that has collected and distributed more than 26 million pairs of shoes in the U.S. and 127 countries.

Soles4Souls is asking the public to join those who have already pledged, to register by visiting www.barefoot4them.org. To help raise awareness, participants can post a picture of their bare feet to social media with the hash tag #Barefoot4Them.

Barefoot4Them brings attention to those who live without access to proper footwear. Without shoes, countless children will not be able or permitted to attend school. Tens of millions will become infected with soil-transmitted parasitic diseases like hookworm, which can cause lifelong debilitation and suffering.

“Most of us don’t give much thought to putting on shoes because we have not ever been forced to go without them,” Soles4Souls President and CEO Buddy Teaster said. “Barefoot4Them is a way to be more thoughtful about what it means to have a pair of good shoes. More importantly, it gives each of us a reason to reflect on how much harder life is without a pair.”

In addition to distributing new shoes to thousands in need every year, Soles4Souls uses many of the used shoes it collects to support its micro-enterprise programs, which create jobs and personal income in impoverished nations like Haiti, Honduras and the Philippines.