A Lebanon couple has been in the process of adopting a little girl from China and said they need the community’s shoe donations to do so.
The couple held a shoe drive on Saturday at the Faith Store on West Main Street in Lebanon.
Krista Krueger, who has two biological boys, said she’s always wanted to adopt and has always wanted a little girl.
Krueger said she and her husband tried to first adopt domestically but encountered a few obstacles.
“We were kind of just kind of hitting walls for a while, and we started looking at other options, international being one,” Krueger said.
“We looked at China and we found the China program to be really compelling. Most of the kids in China have special needs, most of the kids there, at age 14 they’re no longer adoptable. At age 14, they age out and they lose their chance for a forever family. So for us, once we started reading that, we knew China was our path and then we saw our daughter,” Krueger said.
Krueger and her husband have been in the process of adopting a 4-year-old girl.
“She has a very significant heart condition, and we’re trying to bring her home as soon as possible,” she said.
They reached out to the organization Funds 2 Orgs, which helps people adopt by offering shoe drives.
“So you collect shoes. They pay you by the pound for the shoes to be sent to developing countries,” she said.
Krueger wanted to collect 500 bags of gently used shoes. So far, they have about 120 bags.
“We’ve been traveling all over the state of Tennessee to pick up shoes. We’ve been to Clarksville and Knoxville and Memphis to pick up shoes. People can drop off shoes, too,” she said.
The couple has hoped to complete the adoption process by the beginning of January when they travel to China.
To help the couple reach their goal, contact Krista through e-mail at kristajkrueger@gmail.com or by calling 785-307-3146.
