Prater Ford-Mercury will be the collection point for shoes to help those less fortunate not only have the soles of their feet covered, but also their souls.

Jimmy Prater said the Calhoun Ford dealership is again helping to organize local donations for the Shoes for Oprhan Souls project led by the Dallas, Texas-based Buckner International, which has collected shoes for orphans and families all over the world for the past 11 years.

Prater said that those interested in making donations may come by Prater Ford-Mercury, 704 S. Wall St., from now until Aug. 31 during business hours.

He said donations of new shoes and socks for children and teens are needed. Donations can be dropped off in the main showroom

“These shoes will be delivered to in Chattanooga, and then they’ll take how many trucks they load to Dallas to be sorted and distributed,” Prater said. said.

Last year, the Shoes for Orphan Soles drive in Northwest Georgia and eastern Tennessee brought in more than 21,000 pairs of shoes, 37,000 pairs of socks and almost 750 pairs of shoelaces, Prater said.

Once the shoes are in Dallas, they will be shipped all over the world and delivered by missionaries who not only try to cover the soles of children and teenagers feet, but also evangelize.

“They have particular places they go to every year, and go into the orphanages and they provide the shoes for the children,” Prater said. “But giving away these shoes also provides them with an opportunity to present the gospel to them and tell them about Jesus.”

Buckner International is a global Christian ministry that seeks justice for “the least of these” by providing care and resources for orphans and at-risk children in the United States and more than 50 countries around the world, according to their website.

The 130-year-old organization was started in the late 1870s in Texas to help fund an orphans home, and has since expanded to help not only orphans, but also widows, in the quest for a better life for orphans, at-risk children and families.

According to the Shoes for Orphan Soles website, since the project began in 1999 some 2 million pairs of new shoes and socks have been distributed to children in 68 countries.

For more information about the project locally, call the Prater Ford-Mercury at 706-629-2883.