Courtesy: Stony Brook Athletic Communications

STONY BROOK, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's Department of Athletics and the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) set a new record by collecting 1,309 pairs of shoes during the 3rd Annual Soles4Souls shoe drive. The drive was organized and run by the SAAC which collected the shoes over just five days from April 5-10th. This year's total surpasses the two previous shoe drives combined.

Numerous shoe collection sites were located on the Stony Brook campus as well as within the community at the Sayville Running Company and Schwab's 2nd Wind Shoes. A1 First Class Viking Moving & Storage, INC, donated the shipping materials as well as the cost of shipping the shoes.

"The small act of reaching out to our teammates, coaches, staff and community asking all to donate new or gently used shoes and the overwhelming sign of support in collecting over 1,309 pairs of shoes made this event incredibly successful," said Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Administration Sue Serafini. "We could not have done this without the support of our community partners, Schwab's 2nd Wind shoes, Sayville Running Company and A1 First Class Viking Moving & Storage, INC."

Soles4Souls is a charity that collects shoes and distributes them free of charge to people in need, regardless of race, religion, class, or any other criteria. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 7 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently donating one pair every 9 seconds). For more information on Soles4Souls, visit its website at www.soles4souls.org.