First Donation via GoFundMe!!

Yahoo!!

We received our first donation from Nicol W. from our GoFundMe site. (I was beginning to wonder if it was turned on.)

Today Nicole donated $16, which I will use to purchase 2 packages of 6 adult socks. Doesn't seem like much, right? It is huge. This means that 6 adults will receive the gift of 2 pairs of brand new, clean socks to go along with a pair of shoes.

Our trip is coming up, and we still need so much to be able to meet the goals we've set. Can you help, like Nicole did? Visit our site, www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases, make a few clicks to donate, and follow along here on the blog as we make our trip preparations, head out, and then watch the smiles fly on give-away day.

Thank you Nicole. Thank you so much!

Share your shoes, share your love, share your world. 

If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in-good-shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases
www.facebook.com/solefulsuitcases   twitter @RunningWithHart
Melissa Hart  119 N. Parker St. #143 Olathe, KS 66061

80 days out & we still need lots

This trip is sneaking right up as we are just about 80 days out. That may sound like a lot to some of you, but to me, I'm looking at a lot of work still to get there. We are still in need of a lot of stuff, and hoping that perhaps you can help out.

Right now we have 22 pairs of shoes, and need 53 more to reach the goal of 75 pairs.
We need socks. We don't have any adult right now, and need both men's and women's to hand out with the shoes.
We need school supplies. We have some, but can always use more. Servite Primary serves 700+ children, who often come to school with little to none of their own supplies like pencils, notebooks, or crayons. These children are in desperate need of basic supplies.
We have been given 2 laptops to take to the school for the staff to use, but we need some USB thumb drives. These drives allow the teachers to make lesson plans and save them when they don't have access to the computer.
We need books for the school library. It is pretty easy to shop Goodwill and find books in great shape that can be taken. Do the shopping yourself, or donate a few bucks and I'll do the shopping for you. 700+ kids need lots of books to read. Can you imagine going to a school without library books?
Do you have an older, but still working digital camera laying around? This school could use it for special projects, and would be an amazing treat. Cords, cables, and software would be a plus. Does not need to be fancy, just a point and shoot would do wonders.
We need suitcases. They need to be in good enough shape to go on a one-way trip from Kansas City to Jamaica. Would prefer them to have wheels and handles. I can find these at Goodwill as well, and they run around $15. Donate the money to buy one?
Baggage fees. This is huge. Like so huge. And expensive. It is vital that we have people help us get some baggage sponsored. Can you help with this, or know someone or a business that would? This is so costly, yet still cheaper than shipping.


Today marks one week since the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Honor Boston and donate your old athletic shoes, buy a pair of socks in one of the victim's name, or donate some crayons in honor or Martin.


Share your shoes, share your love, share your world. 

If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in-good-shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases
www.facebook.com/solefulsuitcases   twitter @RunningWithHart
Melissa Hart  119 N. Parker St. #143 Olathe, KS 66061

Busy Couple of Days

It has been a busy couple of days for me with Soleful Suitcases. With the events at Boston just a couple days ago, there has been a lot of new friends visiting this little blog. I'm excited to know that so many more people are learning about this little project, and how much it impacts those on the receiving end in such a big way.

Dimity McDowell from the book Run Like A Mother made a post on her blog Another Mother Runner, "10 Ways to Support Boston". Under number 4 is 

"Commit 26.2 acts of kindness in the running community - or world... 

donate your old kicks to a charity like Soleful Suitcases..."

Um, wow. Did Dimity McDowell just write about Soleful Suitcases? I'm kind of speechless.  And pumped. The more people know about this, the more good we can all do.

And just a little blip for all you friends new to Soleful Suitcases - the basics are this. My family and I collect gently used, adult athletic shoes, brand new adult socks, and school supplies. We load them up in suitcases and put them on a plane and head to Jamaica.  Once there, we hand out the shoes and socks to the workers in our hotel, who are ever so thankful for them. We have also adopted Servite Primary School in Brown's Town, a village close by, and we bring them school supplies to support the 700+ children that attend their school. We do this out of the kindness of our hearts and yours. We are not a mission trip, with a church, or a 501c3 (didn't want to pay the fees when we could buy supplies instead.) We are just one family teaching our kids how to be kind and loving citizens of the world, and that it is always better to give back when possible. This is our way to give back, and we are so thankful you are helping us.

Share your shoes, share your love, share your world. 

If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in-good-shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases
www.facebook.com/solefulsuitcases   twitter @RunningWithHart
Melissa Hart  119 N. Parker St. #143 Olathe, KS 66061

Pray for Boston

#PrayforBoston

That hashtag is trending on twitter right now. After the bombings at the marathon yesterday, a mournful nation is reaching out to try and heal the wounds, and one of those ways is by committing 26.2 acts of kindness (#26acts2). I committed one this morning by buying the coffee of a stranger behind me at the Starbucks drive-thru line. I'm committing another by taking athletic shoes, socks, and school supplies to the poverty-stricken people in Jamaica. Can you help me?

I'm still looking for used, in-good-shape adult athletic shoes in either sex, brand new adult socks, and school supplies to take down to Jamaica in July. My family and I will be giving the shoes and socks out to the hotel works where we stay. (2 pairs of brand new socks for each pair of shoes.) We've also adopted a school (Servite Primary) in a local village, and once again, we hope to be able to shower the school with much needed supplies like crayons, pencils & pens, and books for their school library.

If you're in the Kansas City area, I can try to meet you someplace to collect a donation. If you're not, you can mail donations to me, or use the GoFundMe site I've set up in order to make long-distance donating easier. On our last trip we gave out 61 pairs of shoes. Help me make it 75 on this trip.

Share your shoes, share your love, share your world. 

If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in-good-shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases
www.facebook.com/solefulsuitcases   twitter @RunningWithHart
Melissa Hart  119 N. Parker St. #143 Olathe, KS 66061

7 More Pairs of Shoes!

Thank you so much to Gary Gribbles at Ward Parkway in Kansas City. They gave 7 pairs of shoes today! Yahoo!! 3 men's, and 4 women's.

Total shoe count: 22 (14m, 8w)

For those keeping track, our current total sock need is as follows:

28 pairs of men's socks

16 pair's of women's socks

If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in-good-shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases

10 pairs of shoes!

Soleful Suitcases had a great day yesterday!

Gary Gribbles, a local Kansas City running store, is offering us some donations of shoes. When people go to buy new ones there, they often leave their old shoes and Gary Gribbles gives them to local charities. I emailed to ask them if they would give SS some of their shoes, and they said yes! So yesterday we went to the Overland Park location and received 4 pairs of shoes with the encouragement to come back again for more. Yahoo! Thanks Gary Gribbles!

Later in the afternoon I met my friend Miranda Kennedy at the gym for a Pilates class, and she gave me 6 pairs of men's shoes. Yahoo!

Yesterday we received 10 pairs of men's shoes - how great is that! Now we just need 20 pairs of men's socks to go with them.



If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in good shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases

Donations Received Today!

Today was a good day for donations! A couple friends from KC Express passed along some nice donations, and I'm excited to share with you.

Jackie did some Spring Cleaning, and gave 2 suitcases, 1 large and 1 carry-on size. These suitcases are perfect, and we will put them to work in just a few months. She also passed along 3 pairs of shoes. These are the first pairs we've received for this trip. Thank you Jackie!

Patti passed along some paper, pencils, and index cards for the school. Yahoo! Thank you Patti!

Huge School Supplies Donation

As some of you may know, my parents were set to come with us last fall on our trip to Jamaica. They'd been gathering school supplies and donations from their friends in Oregon, and were planning on bringing several suitcases with them. However, my father became ill, and they had to cancel all together while we post-poned from October to late November.

My sister came out to visit us from Oregon, and was able to bring with her 2 huge suitcases stuffed to the gills with school supplies and shoe donations to take down to Jamaica. How exciting! So many crayons and colored pencils, pens and pencils. How exciting!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! We will gladly take all of this down with us and make sure the school children are showered with new supplies.

If you'd like to donate to Soleful Suitcases and our upcoming trip in July 2013, there are several ways to help. You can donate your in good shape, still life left, adult athletic shoes. You can donate brand new adult socks. School supplies are always welcome. Shop on Amazon via the link on the right hand size so we get credit to help pay for baggage fees. Or donate to our GoFundMe site at www.gofundme.com/solefulsuitcases