N.C. Probes Spending by Charity That Provides Shoes

North Carolina officials are threatening to shut down the prominent Raleigh charity Share Our Shoes unless it accounts in the coming days for tens of thousands of dollars in what appears to be personal spending by its leader, The News & Observer reports.

Jennifer Pierce, the founder and president of Share Our Shoes, acknowledged that she had used organization accounts to pay for personal shopping and services but said she reimbursed the charity and will provide the relevant records to North Carolina’s Secretary of State. “It’s just a matter of not having my own debit card with me,” she said of the expenditures.

Share Our Shoes collection boxes became a ubiquitous presence in the Raleigh-Durham region after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, but the charity has also attracted criticism over reports that part of its inventory of donated footwear was sold rather than given to the needy, and over unflattering reports of its founder’s background. Ms. Pierce is a recovering drug addict who has said that her work with the charity keeps her straight.

The state sought records on the organization’s finances in November. After receiving what it said was an incomplete response, notice was issued Feb. 9 giving Share Our Shoes 10 days to further explain $95,000 in transactions.