Pasco County students in need will receive 3,342 pairs of new shoes and 6,910 pairs of new socks after the 11th annual Two Good Soles drive posted its best results yet.

Pasco County Government announced the totals on X on Oct. 27, calling it a record year. The drive, which ended Oct. 16, also pushed the program's 11-year cumulative haul past major milestones: 25,398 pairs of shoes and 60,457 pairs of socks donated since 2016.

Record-breaking results

The annual campaign is a partnership between Pasco County Government and its Constitutional Offices. Residents donated new shoes and socks at collection boxes in county government buildings and at the offices of the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller, Property Appraiser and Tax Collector, according to NatureCoaster.

Two drop-off sites are in the Land O' Lakes and Lutz area: the Land O' Lakes tax collector office at 4135 U.S. 41 and the Wesley Chapel office at 4160 Pet Lane, Suite C101, Lutz, Tampa Bay Beacons reported.

How the drive helps students

School social workers distribute the donated footwear to students whose families need help because of house fires, hurricanes or financial hardship, according to Fox 13.

Nicole O'Neill, a support services specialist with Pasco County Government, described the program's impact in a Tampa Bay 28 report published in July: “We've received letters and testimonies from students and social workers … of how much it really impacts the students' lives, having decent footwear, clean socks and brand new shoes to wear to school.”

5K raises additional shoe funds

This year's drive also featured a new fundraising element. Pasco County Government and the United Way of Pasco County held the inaugural Two Good Soles 5K on Sept. 12 at SunWest Park in Hudson. The county's website says the race raised nearly $5,000 to buy additional shoes and socks for Pasco students.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano said ahead of the drive that the effort “continues to show the incredible generosity of our community,” according to NatureCoaster's July coverage.

For comparison, the seventh annual drive in 2022 collected more than 2,800 pairs of shoes and 5,000 pairs of socks.