Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R,C-Pulaski) was recently joined at Oswego City Hall by local leaders and organizers to share in the annual blessing of the shoes collected for the “Tithe My Shoes” holiday drive. Representatives from across the community partnered to collect new or gently used shoes to donate to those in need. This year, in large part due to the generosity of residents, more than 900 pairs of shoes were collected.

“Thank you to the public for everyone’s donations and thank you to Mudd Murphy for his dedication to this cause and the work he does that goes into making it a success every year. This wonderful tradition perfectly embodies the giving spirit of the holiday season and makes a real difference to families in our community,” said Leader Barclay.

“Thank you to everyone who donated to make this drive a success once again. I'd especially like to thank our partners in government and all the area churches who offered to serve as collection sites. This year I had some great new help, and I am truly grateful for their involvement in collecting, bagging, counting and storing shoes,” said Murphy.

The shoes are delivered to Ralph Rotella, owner of Discount Shoe Repair and event organizer. This year, total contributions set a new record for the drive exceeding 43,000 pairs of shoes. After being cleaned and repaired, the donations will be distributed at the Rescue Mission.