OMAHA, Neb. (KPTM) — National Go Barefoot Day encourages people to kick off your shoes for a good cause, according to nationaldaycalendar.com.
The charity organization Soles4Souls helps to provide underprivileged kids around the world with shoes.
Shoes are one of the hardest things for poorer countries to come by.
Clothes are easy to make, but durable shoes are much harder.
Shoes protect our feet from a multitude of things such as rocks, Running Shoes harsh weather conditions, infection, tetanus, soil-transmitted diseases, and jiggers.
Jiggers are tiny parasitic fleas that get into the human body through the soles of the feet. Within ten days, jiggers can grow to be 2,000 times their normal size. This can cause immense pain and make it difficult to walk.
Donating shoes can make a big impact on someone’s life.
- Kids who have only one pair of shoes may grow out of them quickly.
- If they don’t have any shoes, they cannot go to school.
- There is an estimated 300 million kids who do not have a single pair of shoes.
- When a child has a pair of shoes their physical activity is improved.
- Donating can also keep shoes out of landfills.
How to take place in this charitable day:
- Take a walk barefoot
- Learn about the health effects of not wearing shoes
- Donate to Soles4Souls
- Host a shoe drive
- Use #GoBarefootDay on social media to share how you celebrated
National Go Barefoot Day was created by Soles4Souls after the 2004 Tsunami, and since 2005 over 56 million pairs of shoes have been donated, said the website.