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Shoes, too, can be left at the altar June 7.

Actually, they would be appreciated.

That’s how thousands of congregations across the country will mark the second annual “Barefoot Sunday” to collect shoes for the needy.

Across the country, worshippers are being asked to leave their shoes at the altar so they can be donated to victims of natural disasters or people living in extreme poverty.

In Greensboro, these churches are collecting shoes by June 7: First Lutheran Church, Congregational United Church of Christ, New Garden Friends Meeting, St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Christ Lutheran Church, Sedgefield Presbyterian Church and Community Lutheran Church. Westover Church is offering financial support.

Churches collecting the shoes are hoping for new or “gently worn” shoes to pass along. Greensboro Urban Ministry will receive 25 percent of the shoes collected through this local partnership. The remainder will be donated nationally and internationally.

The mission of the nonprofit Soles4Souls is to collect as many shoes as possible to “Change the World One Pair at a Time,” according to organizers. It’s what some call the ministry of hands and feet, where people live out their faith through physically helping others.

A sad irony, organizers say, is that about 300 million children around the world don’t own a single pair of shoes. And nearly 300 million shoes are thrown in landfills in this country alone, the group says.

To learn more about the Soles4Souls team, based in Nashville, Tenn., e-mail Sunday@giveshoes.org or check out the nonprofit’s Web site at www.giveshoes.org.

If your church wants to donate through the local partnership, go to First Lutheran at 3600 W. Friendly Ave. from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m. Sundays. Information: Frank Moore, frank@firstlutheran.com or 292-9125.
 

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Over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, lap blankets, small toys such as miniature cars and more are being collected for Greensboro’s sister city in Beltsy, Moldova.

The Greensboro Jewish community has spent the last few years helping revive Jewish life in Beltsy, one of the poorest cities in the former Soviet Union — even restoring and preserving the city’s Jewish burial ground.

Moldova, bordered by Romania and Ukraine and now an independent country about the size of Maryland, has a minority Jewish population emerging from decades of repression and isolation.

The Greensboro Jewish Federation is collecting items for camp projects and gifts for home visits and would welcome other over-the-counter medications such as Tums and vitamins, art supplies, winter scarves and gloves, and small toiletries.
A group will leave with the items June 15. Information: 852-5433.

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And the youth shall lead them.

At 4 p.m. Sunday, the youth group at Mount Hope United Church of Christ in Whitsett will hold a cookout and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the official opening of the satellite office for the Loaves and Fishes Food Ministry.

The church, with the youth group in the lead, will operate as a community drop-off site for food to be collected for the nonprofit ministry. Food that is donated will be stored and bagged to Loaves and Fishes specifications. Then Loaves and Fishes will pick up the bags for distribution.

“This youth group had a vision and put their trust in the Lord, and it became a reality,” said a proud Lorie Arrington, a church member. “We are all very proud of such an accomplishment!”

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com