SCHENECTADY– The community is invited to donate shoes to raise funds for Congregation Gates of Heaven (CGoH), according to Arnie Rotenberg, director of congregational learning for the congregation. Donations of gently worn, used and new shoes will be accepted through March 15. The amount of money raised will be determined by the total weight of the shoes collected. The temple is located at  852 Ashmore Ave.

All donated shoes will be redistributed to micro-enterprise partners through Funds2Orgs, a for profit social enterprise, and used in developing nations for impoverished people to start their own businesses.

Rotenberg reports that in the U.S. alone, over 300 million pairs of shoes are thrown away per year. The materials used to manufacture a pair of shoes are created from chemical compounds that will create health hazards if left to disintegrate openly or in landfills.

“By donating your gently worn, used and news shoes to the congregation your shoes are given a second chance to make a difference,” said Rotenberg. Details are available by calling 518-374-8173.