WARREN, Ohio - The cold weather is not stopping a Warren man from loading over 10,000 pairs of shoes into a truck for families in need.

Rod Meeker, organizer and volunteer for Soles4Souls, said packing these shoes are just one way people in the valley can help the nonprofit fulfill its mission.

A group of volunteers put together by Meeker also did not turn away from the cold weather, loading the bags of shoes collected throughout the year.

“They all end up here. When it's full, I tell Soles4Souls to send out a truck like this, and then I organize a group of crazy people like this to help me get them out of here, get them in here, and get them on the road to helping people,” said Meeker.

The thousands of shoes collected will help entrepreneurs in low-income countries start and sustain small businesses selling shoes. Some are also being donated, and distributed at homeless shelters across the country.

Meeker helps run shoe drives at churches in the area, schools and colleges. He also holds his own shoe drives. Once the shoes are collected, they are brought to a warehouse and sorted.

For over a decade, Meeker has collected thousands of shoes for Soles4Souls, with no plans of stopping.

“If I don't do it, will someone else fill my spot to continue it on? I don't know. I'd assume somebody, but I'm gonna keep doing it,” said Meeker.

He has also passed out the collected shoes in multiple cities across the country, and worldwide. 

“Everybody comes to tears, because it's just you realize what we have and what they don't have, what we take. For granted, and how easy it is for us to help them,” said Meeker.

Meeker asks that everyone steps up, whether if it's by hosting a shoe drive, or even by donating gently used shoes.

“Instead of throwing them away, they all end up in a landfill. Not good for the planet. They're not biodegradable. So we decided, let's donate them somewhere. We send them to Soles4Souls,” said Meeker. 

To see how you can help Soles4Souls fulfill its mission, click here.