8,000 shoes, 8,000 lives

Washington County residents collected nearly 8,000 shoes recently, shoes that were given to George “The Shoeman” Hutchings and the Shoeman Water Project in Kenya, Africa.

The used shoes were all recycled and then sold in other countries around the world where they are much needed, helping those 8,000 individuals. Then the proceeds were used to drill four wells and install water purification systems in Kenya where healthy clean water is difficult to obtain.

George took the shoes from Washington County to Kenya and oversaw the project, bringing back many stories and pictures. These were shown Feb. 13 at the Potosi Community Church. For more information, call 438-2710 or visit www.shoeman.org online.