By Edward Lynn
Editor
EAGLE GROVE — Starting May 1, 2025, the Eagle Grove Lions Club will kick off a yearlong community-wide shoe drive aimed at improving lives and protecting the planet. The initiative, which runs through May 1, 2026, is part of a broader humanitarian effort in partnership with Zappos.com and the nonprofit organization Soles4Souls.
The goal: to collect 10,000 pairs of gently used shoes—any size and style, except high heels—to keep them out of landfills and put them to use helping people in need.
“Soles4Souls is more than a lesson in giving back—it’s a lesson in how easy it is to make ripple effects with small changes. It’s not just about shoes, it’s about changing lives,” said Tiffini Tolliver, Club Secretary of the Eagle Grove Lions Club and local organizer of the effort.
Donated shoes will be repurposed and redistributed through Soles4Souls’ extensive network, which has provided nearly 10 million pairs of new shoes and clothing to people across the globe since 2004. According to the organization, four in five recipients report improved physical and mental well-being, and one in two return to work thanks to greater confidence and mobility.
If the Eagle Grove community meets its 10,000-pair goal, Zappos.com will donate 250 new pairs of shoes for local distribution to individuals and families in need.
Collection bins will be available at the Eagle Grove Memorial Library, the Wright County Landfill, and both ISH campuses in Clarion and Belmond. The project is supported locally by Travis Connor and the Wright County Landfill.
Each year, Americans discard more than 13 million tons of clothing and footwear, contributing to environmental damage that disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. By giving shoes a second life, the drive helps combat waste and promote economic opportunity around the world.
For more information or to get involved, visit https://soles4souls.org/4relief/ or contact a member of the Eagle Grove Lions Club. The club meets at the Eagle Grove Memorial library on the fourth Tuesday of every month, at 6:00 P.M.
This article was updated Wednesday, April 3o at 7:51 P.M. to correct the title of Tiffini Tolliver, and add information about the club’s meetings.
