Washington County jail donates 1,500 shoes to those in need

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Courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's Office.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office's jail division is sporting new kicks after the switch from laced tennis shoes to slip-ons, donating around 1,500 used, laced pairs to Soles4Souls.

After the switch, a sergeant noticed the surplus of used shoes that were still in good condition. He reached out to the Roseville group to put them to use. 

On the group's website, Soles4Souls details how important shoes are in impoverished communities, for kids attending school and adults going to work. Since its start in 2006, the group has distributed over 30 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries and all 50 states. 

Kelly Dawn, pictured above, told Fox 9 she volunteers all of her time to collect shoes for the group. She delivered the shoes for the Washington County Sheriff's Office, but has collected over 40,000 pairs during her time volunteering. 

Her volunteering has paid off in more ways than one. "Soles4Souls is an absolutely amazing organization," said Dawn. "I have been blessed to travel with them twice to see those shoes in action!"

According to the sheriff's office's Facebook page, most correctional facilities have ditched laced shoes for safety reasons, looking to sandals or slip-on tennis shoes as an alternative. 

Instead of throwing the shoes away, the sheriff's office said they are "excited to know that these tennis shoes will have a positive effect on somebody's life."