“A Kalispell man set out on a journey to collect 500 pairs of shoes in 50 days.
Ron Mallery grew up in Columbia Falls as a middle child, so the shoes he received were always hand-me-downs.
He tells us he didn’t receive his first pair of new shoes until senior year of high school.
He said one day he saw at a yard sale up to 40 pairs of shoes that were going to be thrown away. That moment inspired him to create No Sneakers Left Behind.
“All those shoes just sitting there and just kind of broke my heart thinking these are going to go to the landfill, there’s got to be some way we can save these shoes, thus No Sneakers Left Behind was born,” said Mallery.
Donations can go beyond sneakers to boots, athletic shoes or even cash donations so they can purchase shoes for those in need.
Mallery says this is the first year he is doing this event, but thanks to community support he hopes to make it an annual event.
“It’s been beyond belief that the people of the Flathead are giving back once again, and again I do appreciate it, I just got goosebumps thinking about it right now, but it will be fun giving the shoes out to the kids,” said Mallery.
The fundraiser ends Oct. 23, and all the shoes will be given away at the ReMax Home Again Realty office in Evergreen….”
View the whole story here: https://nbcmontana.com/community/making-a-difference/kalispell-man-aims-to-collect-500-pairs-of-donated-shoes