(CSi)    Jamestown Regional Medical Center is collecting new and gently-used children’s shoes through Friday, April 27.

JRMC Podiatrist, Dr. Rachael Renschler, says, “Children’s feet grow and change rapidly to ultimately form a foot they will depend on for the rest of their lives. The most critical time to care and support the foot is when children are young,”

She adds, “Children grow quickly. It can be hard for some families to afford multiple pairs of shoes, sandals and boots each year. But shoes that fit properly are important. Shoes that don’t fit can cause blisters and prevent kids from being able to grip the ground properly putting them at risk for injuries.”

To help those families, Dr. Renschler is asking the community to donate shoes for children and teens as part of the Souls for Soles program.

This is JRMC’s first year hosting Soles for Souls. Soles for Souls benefits local families through Community Action Region VI and Salvation Army in Jamestown.

Community Action Region VI, Director, Kathy Williams adds. “We’ll distribute shoes to children this summer. If we have extras, we’ll also give them to children before school starts.”

Salvation Army plans to distribute the shoes this summer before the new school year and as part of its Angel Tree program in December.

To participate, the public may donate clean, matching shoes to one of the following locations: JRMC, First Community Credit Union, Wells Fargo, Central Valley Health and Two Rivers Activities Center. To keep feet healthy, Soles for Souls cannot accept shoes that are torn or visibly soiled.

To learn more, visit call (701) 952-4795.

About Jamestown Regional Medical Center

Jamestown Regional Medical Center is located at 2422 20th St. SW, Jamestown, N.D. and serves approximately 55,000 people in nine counties. In 2017, it was named a “Top 100 Critical Access Hospital” as well as a “Best Places to Work in Healthcare.”  For more information, visit www.jrmcnd.com or call (701) 952-1050.