Graham Archer and the staff at Kintec Salmon Arm are hoping to give new purpose to old soles.
It’s November, and for the staff at the downtown Salmon Arm orthotic and footwear business, that means kicking up their annual collection of used shoes for donation to the Salvation Army Lighthouse Shelter.
“We take shoe donations year-round and they all go to the Lighthouse Shelter, but in November, I really put a push behind it,” explained Archer. “What I also do is for every pair of shoes donated through the month, I donate a dollar to the shelter as well.”
Last November, Kintec was able to donate 250 pairs of usable shoes along with $250. This November he’s hoping to exceed that.
“One of my motivations for moving to a small town two-and-a-half years ago was to be involved and be part of the community. This is just one way we can do that,” said Archer. “There’s a lot of people out there that just can’t afford good footwear and this is an opportunity to make sure people are getting their footwear looked after.”
Kintec accepts all kinds of donated footwear drive, from kids runners and winter boots to sandals and slippers.
“I think people are always looking for avenues to donate stuff rather than throw it away,” said Archer. “We are one of those avenues as far as footwear goes.
“Often, when people come in and buy a new pair, they don’t want to take their old pair home with them so we take them and keep them all in the back until a box gets filled up and we donate them.”
Week one into the November campaign and Archer already has two boxes full of shoes to pass along.
“People really kind of latched onto this this year,” said Archer, noting there’s a box at the front of the store where footwear can be dropped off.
Kintec, located at 117 Hudson Ave. NE, is open Tuesday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Saturday from 9:30 to 5 p.m.
Read more: Home Hardware doubling donations to support breast cancer research, care
Read more: Royal Canadian Legion adjusts to pandemic with electronic poppy sale pilot
