The Casual House was the scene of a generous donation on Saturday, April 9.

One hundred pair of Naot shoes were given to Soroptimist  International of Oak Harbor by Gary Morgan, representative for Yaleet Inc., manufacturers of Naot Shoes.

Jill Schacht, owner of the Casual House, accepted this donation valued at $10,000. Naot provides this once a year gift to a 501C3 charitable organization.

Two years ago, Soroptimist developed a Mentoring Program for the applicants and recipients of the Women’s Opportunity Award. Each year, the Oak Harbor club gives three scholarships to local women who are the financial support of their family and who are returning to school to further their education.

The shoes will be distributed through the Mentoring Program. A news release states the demand for assistance has grown tremendously over the past couple of years. The Mentoring Program now provides gifts of gently used clothing to women using the resources of Worksource, as well as Navy moms re-entering the work force.

Many women who benefit from the clothes and shoes are entering the workforce for the first time. They know the confidence that is gained from these necessities are immeasurable.

Jill Schacht and the Casual House have a long history of clothing donations to Soroptimist International of Oak Harbor and the Naot shoe donation is describe as “icing on the cake.”

The Mentoring program within Soroptimist continues to grow, and if other organizations within the community have a need for gently used clothing or  shoes to help deserving women, please feel free to contact Linda Haddon at jhandlh@aol.com or Paige Bates at jajtp40@hotmail.com.