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This project brought 560 pairs of winter boots to the homeless and economically disadvantaged in the Anchorage area in 2015. SAVEarth, an NGO based in Las Vegas is 100%-volunteer, with no admin costs, started this project and is now looking for help from Rotary. It operates under Global Help Initiative, a 501(c)(3) entity.
SAVEarth receives new ski boot liners from two ski boot companies as donations. These ski boot liners get removed from new boots and get tossed into landfills when customers come into their stores to buy custom fitted liners for their ski boots. These new liners can not be recycled but SAVEarth found a new purpose for them and to save them from going into landfills. The purchase of the waterproof PVC rubber outer-boots, shipping from Las Vegas to Anchorage, and distribution of the final product will be performed by SAVEarth, as well as local volunteers in the communities of Las Vegas and Anchorage. Grants received will be used to purchase the waterproof PVC rubber outer-boots, materials for footbeds, and transportation costs up to Anchorage.
ALASKA: (2015 statistics)
*1,956 homeless individuals statewide. (9% increase since 2014)
*317 people experiencing homelessness were unsheltered at the time of the count.
*The majority of the homeless (57.5%) are utilizing emergency shelter services.
560 pairs of boots from last year went to the following places:
Downtown Soup Kitchen
Beans Café
New Hope on the Last Frontier
The City of Bethel Alaska
Brother Francis Shelter
Anchorage Rescue Mission
Mountain View Boys and Girls Club
We have 970 pairs to bring to Alaska this year to keep the feet of those in need warm. We need your help to make it happen! We are hoping to parlay this effort into a year-round summer shoe exchange program to recover winter boots for re-use and maximize sustainability.
Please copy and paste this link into your browser for a news piece about our project in Alaska in 2015.
http://www.ktva.com/donated-boots-warming-the-feet-of-anchorages-homeless-930/
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