For the 4th year in a row, the WUSM Operations and Facilities Management Department is accepting new and gently used shoes for donation from March 11th through May 31st. Since 2015, the WUSM community has collected over 4 tons of shoes for donation to the ShoeCrew Water Projects, a local non-profit that provides clean water to communities in developing countries.
The World Health Organization estimates that contaminated drinking water causes over 500,000 deaths worldwide each year. ShoeCrew Water Projects aims to reduce this number by bringing clean drinking water to communities in need, by generating revenue from donated shoes. Recent projects have taken place in countries in Central America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
The primary goal of projects is to establish reliable and safe water sources and to reduce the distance that people must travel to collect water daily, as this is often a difficult and dangerous journey of up to 4 miles. “On average, globally, women and children spend 200 million hours every day collecting water, often for water that’s already contaminated.” The organization also educates people about sanitation and hygiene to ensure their water source remains safe and clean for years to come.
Whether you’re tidying up around your home or undergoing Spring cleaning, this is the perfect opportunity to donate the shoes you no longer need and keep them from going to a landfill. There are 10 locations across the School of Medicine campus where you can drop off your shoe donations at any time, before May 31st:
- CSRB/BJCIH Link
- FLTC Atrium
- 4444 Forest Park Lobby
- Clayton Taylor Garage
- TAB Lobby
- McDonnell Science Lobby
- MCC Link
- Couch Building Lobby
- Duncan Garage Link Entrance
You can learn more about the global water crisis by visiting ShoeCrew’s new interactive exhibit at the Chesterfield Mall, The Story of The Thirsty.