Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski) today announced that he is once again participating in the annual “Tithe My Shoes” charity drive, an effort to collect new or gently used shoes and boots for the Rescue Mission with an emphasis on children’s shoes. The tenth annual “Tithe My Shoes” drive is spearheaded by former Central Square Mayor and Executive Director of the Oswego County Conference of Mayors, Millard “Mudd” Murphy.

“Mudd has started a great thing that fulfills a real need within this community, and I am glad this tradition will continue. This will be the 10th annual ‘Tithe My Shoes’ drive and every year, people from across the county and all different communities donate hundreds of pairs of shoes to this cause. I have faith that we can collect even more pairs than we have in previous years,” said Leader Barclay.

“I’m proud to partner with Leader Barclay, SUNY Oswego, many municipalities and local churches on this annual effort. We are blessed to have such a truly generous community that will help us collect more shoes, especially more shoes for kids again this year. It will help those families in need. People are amazing, and I hope together we can help to make the holidays a little brighter for everyone,” said Millard “Mudd” Murphy.

SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu, Ph.D., is proud to participate in the collection effort this year. In his office, there is a pair of shoes he wore when he first came to America as an immigrant student, and he speaks of them often. “Those shoes are my compass; they center me on what is important and remind me of where I began and what’s possible,” Nwosu said. “We all start our journeys in our own shoes. However, these shoes also serve as a reminder of the significant moral responsibility we all bear as educators to transform lives and increase upward mobility.”

Below is a list of drop-off sites:

• Leader Barclay’s Assembly District Office, 19 Canalview Mall, Fulton, NY 13069
• SUNY Oswego, Marano Campus Center, 109 Campus Ctr., Oswego, NY 13126. Bin is located next to the Information/Welcome desk, across the hall from the College Store and the Box Office.
• City Hall, City of Oswego, 13 West Oneida St., Oswego, NY 13126
• Central Square Community Church, 833 U.S. Rt. 11, Central Square, NY 13036, Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Pulaski Village Office, 4917 Jefferson St., Pulaski, NY 13142
• Fulton City Hall, 141 South First St., Fulton, NY 13069
• Phoenix Village Office, 455 Main St., Phoenix, NY 13135
• Central Square Clerk Office, 3125 East Ave., Central Square, NY 13036
• Town of Mexico Town Clerk Office, 64 S Jefferson St., Mexico, NY 13114
• Trinity Episcopal Church, 1492 NY-49, Constantia, NY 13044
• Cleveland Village Hall, 2 Clay St., Cleveland, NY 13042
• Parish Municipal Office, 2938 E Main St., Parish, NY 13131

Shoes will be collected until Friday, Dec. 8 so they can be repaired and delivered in time for the holidays. Murphy works with Ralph Rotella, owner of the Discount Shoe Repair store in Syracuse, who donates his time to clean and fix shoes before delivering them to the Rescue Mission.