Soles4Souls Shoes Detained at the Mexican Border

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Mar 04, 2010, 08:08 ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn., and MCALLEN, Texas, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Soles4Souls announced that donated product bound for Guatemala has been detained at the border in Mexico.

"We have shipped tens of thousands of shoes to Mexico and through Mexico in this particular area and we are flabbergasted by the unreasonable treatment at the border that our partner Harvest Evangelism Ministries has received today," said Wayne Elsey, Founder/CEO.

Soles4Souls has been working through borders in this area for years going back to its infancy in 2006 and now the border patrol is demanding $10,000 in CASH to get the shoes and van out of the detained situation. In addition, authorities detained the missionaries themselves for over 12 hours until early hours, releasing them after 2:00 AM local time.

"Our partners have followed this route and process for years and nothing has changed, other than the mention that they were passing through to get these shoes to Guatemala and now they are being harassed," said Elsey. "Our team is working diligently on helping work through this situation but will not back down to the outrageous demands of payment for this insanity," added Elsey.

"Soles4Souls has shipped over 100,000 pairs for charitable distribution to Mexico in the last 5 years without anything but open arms," said Paul Wilson, President of Soles4Souls OUTREACH Division. "This is absurd," he added.

Sole4Souls distributes a pair of shoes every 9 seconds in over 125 different countries and most recently committed to 1.3 million pairs to Haiti by the end of 2010. "If necessary, I will fly to Mexico to meet with high-ranking government officials to resolve this matter and offer a long-term sustainable commitment to aid the people of Mexico, hopefully harassment-free," added Elsey.

About Soles4Souls®

Soles4Souls is a Nashville-based charity that collects shoes from warehouses of footwear companies and the closets of people like you. We distribute these shoes, free of charge, to people in need around the world. Since 2005, Soles4Souls has given away over 7 million pairs of new and gently worn shoes (currently distributing one pair every 9 seconds). The shoes have been distributed in 125 countries, including Haiti, Kenya, Nepal and the United States. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.

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