When Johnny was about a year old, I took him to the Stride Rite Outlet and had him sized for his first pair of shoes. The salesperson told me he would probably go up a half size every six to eight weeks, and I thought, "Yikes! That's a lot of shoes!" Luckily, Johnny's feet didn't grow that fast, but even so, I still have a pile of tennis shoes that are mostly still wearable. I can't bring myself to throw away shoes that still have wear in them, but they're also worn enough that I can't really sell them on Ebay.
Awhile ago, I read about Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program, in which they accept worn out athletic shoes of any brand, then grind them up and purify the materials to make Nike Grind. The Nike Grind is then used to make sports surfaces, such as running tracks or soccer fields. The nearest drop off center to us is in Rehobeth, Delaware, so I was planning on taking a box of old shoes with us next time we go to Ocean City, because Rehobeth is a short drive away.
Then my latest issue of Guideposts came in the mail, and I discovered another way to repurpose all those shoes. Share Your Soles was started by Mona Purdy after she traveled to Central America in 1999 and learned that the children there paint their feet with tar to prevent infections that could lead to limb amputations. The area is impoverished, and most of the children don't have shoes. After returning home, Purdy collected shoes from friends and family and took them to an orphanage in Honduras, and eventually started her non-profit organization, dedicated to making a difference. There are drop centers in several states, and also an address to ship donations to. Visit the website to read the guidelines for shoe donations. Shipping costs are tax deductible.
I can't see a downside to either method. You get rid of the shoes cluttering your house. A child in need receives what may be their first pair of shoes. Or those shoes stay out of the landfill and go to creating community resources. Simple.
Awhile ago, I read about Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program, in which they accept worn out athletic shoes of any brand, then grind them up and purify the materials to make Nike Grind. The Nike Grind is then used to make sports surfaces, such as running tracks or soccer fields. The nearest drop off center to us is in Rehobeth, Delaware, so I was planning on taking a box of old shoes with us next time we go to Ocean City, because Rehobeth is a short drive away.
Then my latest issue of Guideposts came in the mail, and I discovered another way to repurpose all those shoes. Share Your Soles was started by Mona Purdy after she traveled to Central America in 1999 and learned that the children there paint their feet with tar to prevent infections that could lead to limb amputations. The area is impoverished, and most of the children don't have shoes. After returning home, Purdy collected shoes from friends and family and took them to an orphanage in Honduras, and eventually started her non-profit organization, dedicated to making a difference. There are drop centers in several states, and also an address to ship donations to. Visit the website to read the guidelines for shoe donations. Shipping costs are tax deductible.
I can't see a downside to either method. You get rid of the shoes cluttering your house. A child in need receives what may be their first pair of shoes. Or those shoes stay out of the landfill and go to creating community resources. Simple.
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3 comments:
I've never heard of the Nike program- that sounds pretty cool! It's funny- Trent grows a mile a minute every where else- but his feet grow slow. We bought him sneakers in July and just got a new pair last week.
I haven't heard of either program, but for shoes with wear left in them, I'd lean toward the shoes for kids one, rather than the one that someone is profiting from. Unless of course the sports turf is being installed free at inner city schools or something.
Thanks for posting this! These are great ideas!
I'd also try talking to my pastor (or my sister--those inner city schools are full of families that can use them!) and finding a family that can use the shoes--second hand gently used or not!
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