Airman's Council holds shoe donation drive

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  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  The 482nd Fighter Wing Airman's Council is taking part in "Shoes for Water" - a shoe drive led by Water Step.

Water Step is an international organization that protects the lives of nearly 400,000 people each year by providing equipment and training to individuals seeking to address water quality and sanitation issues in developing countries and post-disaster environments.

The Airman's Council will be collecting pairs of shoes throughout the wing from September to November. Collection bins will be set up around the base. Any and all donations of shoes are welcome: boots, athletic, running, dress, sandals, pumps, heels, cleats, dance, flip-flops, etc.

Here's how it works: Once the shoes are collected, Water Step sells the shoes to an exporter, thus generating money for water purification equipment and training in third- world countries. The exporter then takes the shoes to the same countries that Water Step does water/hand pump repair projects and sells them to micro-business owners at affordable prices to help them to have a sustainable living for their families. The collected shoes serve two purposes: to raise money for water purification projects and keep used shoes out of landfills.

Every 20,000 pounds of shoes will help a village obtain one chlorine generator to turn the undrinkable water from their water source into clean, bacteria and parasite-free water.

For more information on the shoe drive, contact Senior Airman Rodane Williams at rodane.williams@us.af.mil, or Senior Master Sgt. Antonio Romero at antonio.romero@us.af.mil.

To learn more about Water Step, formerly Edge Outreach, and their water purification innovations, visit their website at www.edgeoutreach.com.