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The Erie United Methodist Alliance and All God’s Children Ministries are conducting a shoe collection drive beginning today and running through Sept. 30. All shoes collected will be donated to developing nations, where people can use them to start, maintain and grow businesses of their own to feed, clothe and house their families. While gently worn shoes are preferred, shoes will be accepted in all conditions.

In the United States alone, around 630 million pairs of shoes are thrown away every year. By donating some of those old shoes to EUMA and AGCM instead, less waste will end up in local landfills, and the shoes will make a difference in someone’s life. EUMA and AGCM receive a monetary fee for the shoes collected, which will go toward  helping local homeless and disabled persons.

Shoe donations can be made at the following locations: Rainbow Connection Thrift Store, 1516 Buffalo Road; Greg Thomas Floor Expression, 945 W. 12^th St.; Girard Area Industrial Authority, 227 Hathaway St. East, Girard; and at most United Methodist churches throughout  Erie and Crawford counties.

Individuals, businesses and organizations that would like to participate in the shoe drive or host a shoe collection box may contact Rev. Debbie Hills at (440) 812-4624 or by e-mail at deacon.dhills@gmail.com. For additional information, visit http://www.euma-erie.org/news-events/events/shoe-drive/.

Volunteers from the VFW Post 470 Ladies Auxiliary will hit the streets on Saturday for a poppy drive to benefit local veterans.

You’ll find them at four local sites beginning at 10 a.m.: Kmart, 2873 W. 26th St.; Kmart, 1320 Grandview Blvd.; Bob Evans, 2340 W. 12th St.; and Country Fair, 1449 W. Eighth St., and one more, Hoss’ Steak and Sea House, 3302 W. 26th St., starting at 11 a.m. The ladies will collect donations until 2 p.m.

Donations will benefit veterans at the Pennsylvania Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Home and the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Have you contemplated creating a unique decorated ceramic bowl for your pet — or yourself? If so, head over to Claytopia, 2503 W. 15th St., on Thursday, between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. If you bring a “Claytopia for Kitties” flier with you, Claytopia will donate 20 percent of the profit from your purchase to Orphan Angels Cat Shelter. You can drop in anytime that day without a reservation, or join the Ladies Night party that evening from 5 to 9 p.m.

How does it work? You simply choose a piece (or two or three) from the upainted pottery items available at the store — mugs, bowls, dinner plates, animal figurines and more — then paint it and add any decorative touches you like. When you’re happy with your creation, the Claytopia staff will fire your piece in the kiln, and your finished masterpiece will be ready for you to pick up a week later.

The cost is a studio fee of $6, plus the price of the bisque (the pottery), which ranges from $5 to $50.

Visit Claytopia’s website, www.claytopiaerie.com, for more information and decorating ideas.

Claytopia for Kitties fliers are available at Orphan Angels, 5439 West Lake Road, or you can call 746-0511 or 504-3246 or send an e-mail to orphanangels@ymail.com to request one be sent to you.

Spring is here, and Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary is filling up with kittens. To help raise funds to feed and vaccinate all the shelter residents, Orphan Angels will hold a rummage sale on Saturday, May 18, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the parking lot in front of the shelter, 5439 West Lake Road.

The group is seeking donations of clean, dry items to sell, including books, movies, household items, clothing and other goods. Donations can be dropped off at the shelter any day of the week, including the morning of the sale, except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

In addition, volunteers are needed to set up the night before the sale, to work the day of the sale and to rebox the items after 4 p.m. on May 18. If you are willing to help out, please visit Orphan Angels’ Facebook page and post the times you are available.

On Friday, April 26, Make-A-Wish of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia awarded Trevin Capela, 6, of Waterford, who has cystic fibrosis, a dream trip to Disney World with his family.

You can help make wishes like Trevin’s come true by donating your airline air miles to Make-A-Wish. And if you donate them by April 30, WWE superstar John Cena will match every mile donated, up to 4.5 million, and United Airlines will match every United MileagePlus award mile donated as well, up to 3 million miles.

Seventy-five percent of the wishes granted by Make-A-Wish, like Trevin’s, require air travel to fulfill them, and the Pennsylvania Make-A-Wish chapter is working to fill more than 525 travel wishes requiring 124 million air miles. Donated air miles are critical to the program.

Frequent fliers with air miles from Delta, US Airways or United can donate their air miles to Make-A-Wish through its Wishes in Flight program. Once donated, the miles never expire.

To donate miles or for more information, call (800) 676-9474 or log on to www.wishgreaterpa.org.

Get the new hairstyle you’ve been wanting for spring at a haircut-a-thon for Orphan Angels Cat Sanctuary on Sunday, April 14, 1 to 4 p.m., at The Classic Image Salon in the Giant Eagle plaza, 9125 Ridge Road, Girard.

A professional stylist will cut your hair in exchange for a donation to benefit the rescued cats at the sanctuary. You can also work on your tan in exchange for a donation. The group also hopes to have a massage therapist giving relaxing chair massages. For more information, visit Orphan Angels on Facebook or send an e-mail to orphanangels@hotmail.com.

Area artists — here’s a chance to express yourself and help local pets in need at the same time.

The Erie Animal Network is a social networking project that helps connect lost and found cats and dogs with their owners and finds homes for stray and unwanted dogs and cats.

The group is collecting donations of artwork (from everyone from novice to professional) for the Art for Animals show, a fundraiser scheduled for Sunday, May 19, 1 to 5 p.m., at PACA, 1505 State St.

If you’d like to donate a piece of art, or otherwise help with the event, send a note to EAN’s Facebook site.

Mercyhurst University and the House of Mercy will host a global gifts fair on March 21, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., in the university’s Carolyn Herrmann Student Union.

The fair will showcase handcrafted original works of art, including jewelry, woodcarvings and knitted and woven items, made by area refugees from Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Proceeds will benefit the artists and their families.

Mercyhurst social work major Sister Kade Browne of Liberia, pictured above, recently began working with refugees in Erie as part of her Social Work Practice III course. According to Sister Kade, who is working on this project with Mercyhurst senior Brittany Miklos, many of the area’s refugees are unemployed and need help providing for their families.

Mercyhurst officials and the Sisters of Mercy are seeking craft donations to support the participating artists. Crafting materials such as fabrics, beads, buttons, yarn, thread, ribbon, clay, paper and paint will be accepted.

Donations of nonperishable food items and toiletries will also be collected before and during the gifts fair to benefit refugees. Collection boxes are available around the university’s Erie campus, including the lobby of Old Main, the Student Union and Egan Dining Hall.

Donations can also be made at the House of Mercy, 2005 Woodlawn Ave., and the Sisters of Mercy Mother House, 444 E. Grandview Blvd. For more information, contact Sister Kade at 824-3314, or Sister Michelle at 898-0167.

The United Way of Western Connecticut, in partnership with Newtown Savings Bank, is collecting monetary donations this holiday season for those affected by the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Donations will be used to fund support services for the victims’ families and community.

You can donate online at newtown.uwwesternct.org.