UNWANTED SHOES

Gardena man's nonprofit turns unwanted shoes into needed clean water
By Melissa Evans Staff Writer

Gardena resident Scott Kjos and two others recently started a nonprofit to help combat the world's clean water crisis.

But they don't want money. They want shoes.

"Old shoes, new shoes, worthless shoes, heals, pumps, slippers," he said. "Bring everything and anything, except socks. We don't want socks."

His organization, Soles for Life, will collect donated shoes Saturday at the Pacifica Open Air Market in Gardena. The shoes - he hopes to collect enough to fill a semitrailer - will be donated to another nonprofit, Edge Outreach, which sells them by weight to an exporter.

The exporter resells the shoes to vendors in developing countries, who sell them to people at a low cost. Edge Outreach then uses money from the exporter to buy inexpensive water purification systems, which produce 10,000 gallons of clean water per day in places where it's needed most.

Thousands of people die each year in developing countries due to dehydration and disease spread through unclean water, Edge said.

The water systems, which clean well water, are made using a 12-volt battery, salt and a purification pump. The cost is extremely low, those involved say.

"It's really a win-win-win for everybody," Kjos said. "If there ever was a good thing to do, this is it."

None of the donated shoes will wind up in landfills, he said - everything is used, even old shoes that can't be worn.

He and others are hoping to collect up to 10,000 shoes at Saturday's event, enough to eventually fill a semitrailer that holds 25,000 shoes.

Several churches also are involved in the effort, including Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach, along with the Easter Seals and a handful of local businesses.

melissa.evans@dailybreeze.com

MY THOUGHTS

Such a great idea.