Philadelphians donated over two thousand pairs of new and gently used shoes to those less fortunate in the weeks prior to a May 14, 2011 community service project by local young women.
The shoes were collected by the more than one hundred teen girls who are members of Philadelphia’s Teenshop organization as part of their signature SHOES FOR LIFE program. The donated footwear was made available to those referred through local social service organizations, and was retrieved on May 14 at a community center that the organization temporarily converted into a shoe store.
Brown’s ShopRite donated bottled water and shopping bags to the event. Laborers Local 332 contributed as well by donating the site and purchasing numerous pairs of children’s shoes.
The Temple University School of Podiatry also participated in this charitable project by providing podiatrists to do onsite foot care evaluations.
Teenshop is a volunteer, nonprofit organization for “girls with goals” founded in 1985. It is one of the nation’s longest running organizations dedicated exclusively to the positive development of adolescent girls. All Teenshop graduates go on to either college or professional schools and while enrolled no girl drops out or becomes a teen parent.
There are three Teenshop chapters located in Philadelphia, PA and one in Los Angeles, CA. Each chapter is directed by a five-member volunteer team of local professional women. Teenshop is a Program Partner of the Urban Affairs Coalition.
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