Shoes have been used as symbols of transformation in literature.
But in reality, they can transform lives.
The Belair PTA hosted a shoe drive Saturday morning in a parking lot at Capital Mall. The organization invited the public to donate new and gently worn shoes to the effort. The PTA is partnering with Funds2Orgs to send the donations to communities and small businesses in developing nations, such as Haiti and Cambodia.
Jeni Dancer, Belair PTA president and co-chair of the drive, said Funds2Orgs receives the shoes and donates funds back based on the pounds of shoes gathered.
The drive started right after Thanksgiving and continues through mid-January, she said.
Funds2Orgs sells the shoes in developing countries at a fair trade rate, she said.
"We are trying to fill 100 bags. Each bag contains 25 pairs of shoes," Dancer said. "This is something new we're trying this year."
As of Saturday, the PTA had collected 21 bags of shoes, according to Lo Tomlin, a co-chair for the drive.
There are two collection bins set up in Belair Elementary School for students to drop shoes into.
There are also locations throughout the community where the public is invited to drop off shoes: American Shoe, Missouri River Regional Library, Wesley United Methodist Church, Kitty's Critter Care, Capital West Christian Church, Central Dairy, Sonic (at 201 Commerce Drive) and Koelling Family Chiropractic. They'll be available through Jan. 9.
Tomlin said she and other volunteers assess the shoes, looking at whether the shoes have holes in them and checking to make sure they aren't worn out.
The soles can't be worn out -- they have to have "good traction," she said.
"Because, people ... the places where we are going to be sending these to, their primary mode of transportation is walking," Tomlin said. "We will take anything except for skates."
She added one of the attractive aspects of the drive is that people who donate are giving shoe recipients a hand up, and not a handout.
Cheryl Ward of New Bloomfield, the first donor to pull up Saturday, brought along stacks of shoes, including the shoes she wore to her wedding 12 years ago. They'd only been worn once.
"The shoes come from all over," Ward said about her load of shoes. "I was always a shoe person."
As time has passed, Ward said, she developed plantar fasciitis and couldn't wear her heels anymore.
"Then, I couldn't wear other shoes," she added. "They were all too pretty to throw away."
Ward said she had never even thought people might want shoes that had been used. Then one of her coworkers said there are people who would be thrilled to have even used shoes.
"I brought three or four pairs of boots that have only been worn once," she said. "And some of my pretty heels."
Alexa Pfeiffer/News Tribune photo: Jeni Dancer, right, speaks to an attendee of Saturday's Belair Elementary PTA shoe drive at Capital Mall. Dancer helped organize the event collecting shoes for developing nations. It is also a fundraiser for the PTA.
Alexa Pfeiffer/News Tribune photo: Trevor Dancer carries bags of shoes donated Saturday during the Belair Elementary shoe drive at Capital Mall. People had the opportunity to drop off shoes for the Funds2Orgs program, which provides shoes in developing nations.
Joe Gamm/News Tribune photo: Lo Tomlin organizes shoes Saturday in the Belair Elementary PTA shoe drive at Capital Mall. The PTA partnered with Funds2Orgs to collect shoes for developing nations.