Oakmont residents amass thousands of shoes to help greyhounds
An Oakmont couple's third annual shoe drive to help an organization find homes for retired racing greyhounds has crossed the finish line with its largest total yet.
Roberta Erickson and her husband, Bob, are part of Nittany Greyhounds, a State College-based nonprofit that works with racing associations and dog owners to match families with former racers.
It partners with The Greyhound Way, a like-minded nonprofit, and Funds2org, an Orlando-based fundraising group, to help make that happen.
Dogs acquired by Nittany Greyhounds receive all their inoculations, are spayed and neutered and are prepped for adoption.
The Ericksons collected a total 9,075 pairs of shoes this year, that will generate about $3,500 for Nittany Greyhounds, Roberta Erickson said.
The shoe drive netted about 6,275 pairs in combined donations its first year and more than 5,000 last year.
“It has grown exponentially,” Roberta Erickson said. “The primary reason is the community. We've been blessed with having different people step up to really get involved. People going that extra step, it's amazing.”
The couple credited resident Sue Martin with spreading the word about the shoe drive through her email newsletter, and resident Michele Futules for making it a service project at her office in Management Science Associates.
Steckel gathered donations in the Etna area.
Funds2org will donate $1,000 to Nittany Greyhounds for every 2,500 pairs of shoes it collects.
“Every time you ask somebody if they've got old shoes they give them to you. It's crazy,” Bob Erickson said.
Racing greyhounds are bred to be sprinters, usually weigh between 50 and 75 pounds and retire around age 5.
Funds raised go toward their transportation, housing and veterinary care.
Funds2org collected the shoes after the drive and will ship them overseas.
Roberta Erickson said the shoe drive not only helps organizations, it helps the environment and those less fortunate.
“We will provide a lot of shoes for people who don't have them, and we will keep the shoes out of the landfills,” she said.
“That's where they would end up if they weren't going somewhere.”
Neighbor Frank Roach offered two out of his three garages to store the shoes.
“We'd like to thank everybody who's made this a success,” Roberta Erickson said. “We could not have done this on our own.”
The Ericksons have greyhounds of their own.
They are Schuler, Cadence, Jake and Nikki.
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-871-2367 or mdivittorio@tribweb.com, or via Twitter @MikeJdiVittorio.
