Fifth Annual Shoes4Shelburne kicks off in December

Written By PAULA BROWN

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Everyone deserves a good pair of reliable shoes. 

Shelburne Family Chiropractic & Wellness Centre is gearing up for their fifth Shoes4Shelburne initiative this December, and has announced exciting changes to the yearly shoe collection going forward. 

Started five years ago by local chiropractor Dr. Richard Magder and Alexandra Georgie from Shelburne Family Chiropractic, Shoes4Shelburne has been an annual initiative focused on providing new and gently used shoes to Shelburne and Dufferin County residents. 

The inspiration for the campaign came after a pair of Dr. Magder's shoes were stolen when left outside to dry. 

“Anytime you're the victim of theft it's not a great feeling, but then we started to think for someone to steal old wet shoes they must really need shoes,” explained Georgie. “That's how Shoes4Shelburne started and from there every year it seems to grow bigger and bigger in terms of the number of shoes collected.” 

The first year Shoes4Shelburne was launched the initiative was able to collect around 500 pairs of shoes and in 2019 collected a total of 600 pairs. In 2020, the initiative saw a huge influx in donations with 2,000 pairs of shoes collected over a week span. 

“It was really humbling to have that many shoes and for the people that were needing the shoes to have so many options to choose from,” said Georgie. 

While seeing consistent growth in the number of shoes donated each year, the initiative is also seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people reaching out for shoes. To help with the demand, Shoes4Shelburne is now being revamped to help individuals and families all year round with three collection periods; December, April, and August. 

Georgie said through the new full year program, they'll be asking for specific types of shoes depending on the time of year such as indoor shoes during the August collection for children returning to school. 

Shoes4Shelburne is currently looking for winter boots for all ages from babies to adults as well as work boots and easy slip on shoes like Birkenstocks or Crocs for seniors. 

As an owner of a local chiropractic business, Georgie notes the importance shoes and a good pair of footwear and impact a person's overall health. 

“If you don't have good footwear it can really negatively affect everything going on in your body like your posture, lower back pain, hip pain and knee pain,” said Georgie. “Also, everyone feels great when you get a new pair of shoes.”

She also made note of how expensive shoes can be. 

“Shoes sometimes get lost, it's not always a top of mind item. With how expensive shoes are now, it's becoming more unattainable for people to buy a good pair of shoes,” she said. 

Shoes4Shelburne will kick off a two week collection period of new and gently used shoes on Dec. 11. 

“We're very thankful to the community of Shelburne and all the business that have helped support this program, it's quite humbling for Dr. Magder and myself,” said Georgie. 

Donations of new and gently used shoes can be dropped off at the Shelburne Family Chiropractic & Wellness Centre located at 310 Main Street E.