Photo submitted to Times Observer The House of Hope Shoe Drive is in full swing.

“Bring us your shoes.”

That’s the message House of Hope board members want to get out as they finish up this year’s shoe drive.

The fundraiser partners House of Hope with Funds2Orgs, with House of Hope collecting the shoes and Funds2Orgs paying 40 cents per pound for the bags of used footwear. House of Hope uses the money raised to maintain its day to day operations, and Funds2Orgs sets up people in third world countries to sell the shoes, boosting local economies and helping struggling families make ends meet.

Last year, said board member Jeanne Hukill, a total of 4,349 pairs of shoes were collected.

“We were one pair short of 174 bags,” said Hukill, adding that shoes are collected 25 pair per bag. So far, said Hukill, around 70 bags have been collected. But, she said, there is a 100 bag minimum. At 25 pair of shoes per bag that means another 750 pair of shoes are needed to meet that minimum.

All types and sizes of shoes are accepted with the exception of ice skates, roller skates, and roller blades. Steel-toed shoes are always in demand, and Hukill said that they’ve even turned in dance shoes and other niche footwear.

All that matters, said Hukill and fellow board member Jennifer Cullers, is that the shoes turn up at the collection points, which are at Northwest Bank on Liberty Street and Second Avenue, Woodforest National Bank inside Walmart in North Warren, the Warren Manor at 682 Pleasant Drive, the Corry Manor at 640 Worth Street in Corry, and at the House of Hope, located at 316 Hazel Street in Warren. Collection boxes have also been set up as far away as Jamestown, N.Y., and Erie, Pa., said Cullers.

“It’s a win-win,” said Cullers. “Your shoe donations not only raise money for the House, but they support micro-enterprises in developing countries and reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. Everyone wins.”

The shoe drive is going through June 16, said Cullers, but pickup won’t be until the end of June and every pair counts, she said. For more information on the House of Hope find them on Facebook or visit herhouseofhope.com.