Shoes
Photo Credit: Sole2Sole

Dario Gouveia and his family have spent the last 5 years collecting shoes for people and organisations in need; they launched their winter appeal to address the need for good shoes.

 

Johannesburg, South Africa (04 May 2022) – Dario Gouveia started collecting shoes five years ago. Within the first three months of collecting, he had 6000 pairs of shoes for charity; today, he has collected over 185,000 pairs of shoes.

Dario founded Sole2Sole after seeing a child on the street with no shoes and sore-looking feet. He wondered how many other children were suffering this way and decided to start collecting shoes to give to children in need. Between himself and his sister Liana, they started the cause with 14 pairs of shoes and went from there.

Dario is now in grade 9 and spends much of his free time raising awareness about the need for decent shoes. He visits surrounding schools to give motivational talks and inspire others to take up the cause.

Over the years, Sole2Sole has supplied shoes to shelters, orphanages, underprivileged sports clubs, school children and more. They have so many projects on the go at the moment, but their shoe stock has started to dwindle.

Dario, Liana and mom Zita are working hard to reach as many people as possible so they can collect more pre-loved shoes that are in good condition. With winter on the way, warm feet are essential.

“We recently sent shoes to the KZN flood victims and our supplies are really low, this said, we have a long list of shelters, underprivileged schools and orphanages requesting our assistance.” – Zita Gouveia, Dario’s mother.

Dario has launched a winter shoe drive in the hopes of collecting enough to supply all the organisations in need. They are collecting any shoes that are in good condition, no matter what the shoe may be. They welcome sports shoes, school shoes, takkies and sneakers, sandals, boots, slippers and more. They will find a home for every shoe that is donated. There is a great need for men’s sizes so if you have any to donate, please consider doing so.

You can find all the drop-off points below. If you would like to donate shoes to the cause, you can reach out via Facebook here.


Sources: GTG Interview
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About the Author

Tyler Leigh Vivier is a writer for Good Things Guy.

Her passion is to spread good news across South Africa with a big focus on environmental issues, animal welfare and social upliftment. Outside of Good Things Guy, she is an avid reader and lover of tea.

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