PBS39 and ArtsQuest Partnering to Collecting Gently Used Shoes for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Shoe Drive to Help Soles4Souls Fight Global Poverty

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, PBS39 and ArtsQuest have teamed up to launch a drive to collect shoes to help those less fortunate around the globe. Fred Rogers Productions, producers of the beloved series, and Soles4Souls, a non-profit social enterprise that creates sustainable jobs and provides relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world, have partnered to provide a dynamic, community volunteer opportunity for PBS stations nationwide as part of their anniversary efforts. As fans of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood will recall, Fred Rogers opened every episode by changing out of his loafers into a pair of sneakers.

During the run of the new movie, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” from June 22 through July 8 at the ArtsQuest Center’s Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas, people can drop off gently used and new shoes at the cinema or at PBS39 studios during regular hours. To show their appreciation, ArtsQuest will provide a free cinema pass for every pair of shoes donated, and PBS39 will also provide a gift. The shoes that PBS39 and ArtsQuest collect will be delivered to Soles4Souls.

Soles4Souls will convert every used pair of shoes collected by ArtsQuest and PBS39 into value-added social currency to achieve positive change, both humanitarian and economic. Gently used shoes will be distributed to micro-enterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti, Honduras, and other developing nations. The resulting revenue will help fund the free distribution of new shoes in the U.S., Canada, and developing nations around the world.

“This incredible support from Fred Rogers Productions and PBS stations nationwide is going to help us impact a lot of lives,” said Buddy Teaster, President and CEO of Soles4Souls. “Just one pair of used shoes sold by an entrepreneur in Haiti can provide five meals for a family, and 20 pairs can generate enough funds to send a child to school for an entire year in Honduras.”

Since 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states.

Tim Fallon, CEO of PBS39 said, “This is a great opportunity for PBS39 to work within our neighborhood to reach out and help affect the lives of people throughout the world. This is a wonderful and meaningful way for us to help celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”