National Go Barefoot Day
Did you know that National Go Barefoot Day has been in celebration since 2004? This year it will be celebrated on June 1st. This day got its start by Soles4Souls, which is a global charity organization. They came up with the idea for National Go Barefoot Day to support survivors of a tsunami that year. The next time you hit the mat, and take off your shoes, we wanted to ask you to be mindful of those without adequate footwear.
And on June 1st when you go barefoot, we want you to remember that there are some excellent health benefits in doing so. They include:
- Better foot positioning
- Improved balance and body awareness
- Better foot mechanics, which in turn improves things like knees, hips, and the rest of the body
- Stronger leg muscles and lower back support
- Improved posture
- Enhanced dexterity of the lower extremities
We also want you to remember that the real purpose of Go Barefoot Day is to raise awareness of those in the world who don’t have access to adequate footwear. And to encourage people to donate shoes both new and gently used.
If you are wondering how you can help, below are a few options for getting involved!
New shoe companies that donate a pair when shoes are purchased TOMS Shoes and Roma Boots.
Soles4Souls is a cool nonprofit that collects used shoes to distribute to those in need.
Green Sneakers is a used shoe recycling program to keep nonbiodegradable materials out of the landfill.
We also found this cool program through Fleet Feet which is partnering with the Tucson Urban League and Youth On Their Own to bring shoes to those in need in the Tucson community.
And we can’t forget our four-legged pups. Cody’s Friends charity, which is a local Tucson charity, donates dog shoes to homeless pets in our local community!