The pastor of Cumberland Presbyterian Church has exceeded his goal of collecting shoes for those in need. Debbie Johnson, a member of the church, said that they had earlier vowed to collect 2,300 pairs of shoes within 60 days.

Exceeds expectations

In a report with Yahoo News, the church managed to surpass its target number even before the deadline. The church members and volunteers said that they have collected more than 2,500 pairs of shoes for adults and children. 

Debbie Johnson is part of the Cumberland Presbyterian Women's group. They were the ones who organized the shoe drive. 

She said the support from the community has been nothing short of overwhelming.

Johnson stated that things have been going well for the shoe drive because they have received support left and right. She added that the volunteers and church members had an energy that could not be matched. 

She pointed out that the shoe drive was a project that everyone wanted to be a part of. 

Johnson said that she has driven as far as Henderson to collect the shoes. 

The church would receive shoes and they would be matched. These pairs would be placed inside a bag until they reached 24 pairs.

"Our goal was 100 bags but we have 107 and we're still counting," Johnson explained.

Hitting targets

The church collaborated with Funds2Orgs. The Orlando-based organization partners with churches, organizations, and other nonprofits that hosts shoe drives. 

These donated shoes are shipped to micro-entrepreneurs in 26 countries. 

These shoes are sold by entrepreneurs to support their families. 

Most of the shoes are used, but one group donated eight bags of new shoes from a local retail store.

Funds2Orgs paid 40 cents per pound for each bag of donated shoes. The nonprofit organization sent trucks to pick them up.

The church group earlier sent 45 bags to the organization. These weighed over 1,030 pounds. 

Another member of the women's group, Shirley Brown, shared how excited they were to send the shoes. She knew that they were going to exceed their goal the minute they sent their first load. 

The women's group will use the proceeds from the shoe drive to fund future missions. 

These funds would be essential in supporting local homeless shelters and food banks.

The Rev. Tim McGuire is the Cumberland Presbyterian pastor. He was thankful for everyone who donated and supported their cause. 

The pastor pointed out that they should be commended for their actions.

McGuire was astonished over everyone's efforts, pointing out that the quality of the shoes they sent out was excellent. He even said that he would wear those on any given day. 

The pastor added that the church is better off for it because it became larger than the Cumberland Presbyterian Women's group.

"The unity of everybody working together has spilled over into the entire church," McGuire said. "It's been a great project in many ways."

In an earlier report with Yahoo News, the pastor admitted that he was a bit hesitant to take on the project but he was not one to rain on their parade. 

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