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Jan 24
2012
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Ask Renee: How do you donate worn shoes?Posted by Renee Sweany in Untagged |
Photo by Joe Hastings
There’s an Indiana nonprofit that is a shoo-in for your support! Changing Footprints, in Rushville, IN, collects and distributes shoes to disaster- or poverty-stricken areas here in our state, throughout the country and around the world. They have drop-off locations at various shoe stores in Indy – Blue Mile, Goodman Shoes, Yates Stride Rite, and Keen Children’s Shoes – and they love working with groups to host shoe drives. According to their web site, 70% of their donated shoes stay in the U.S., with the majority going directly to local communities.
If you’re giving a pair of athletic shoes the boot, Nike Grind will put them to good use. They recycle your sneakers into surfaces, like running tracks, playgrounds and carpet padding. The Nike Factory Store in Edinburgh will take old shoes, but you can also drop them off at any of the Changing Footprints locations as shoes they deem unusable are sent to Nike.
I know you’re concerned about your shoes being worn beyond such donation, but I encourage you to give them (or other re-use organizations, like Goodwill, Salvation Army, Amvets, etc.) the opportunity to make that call. You and I may have no concept of what “worn” means to someone who lives on a dirt floor or has lost everything to tragedy. And even the misfit shoes that never take another step can still be sold to secondary markets to benefit the program.
Got a “green” question for Renee? Send to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Renee’s passion for caring for the planet compelled her to create Green Piece Indy, a twice-weekly email with tips on how to live a greener lifestyle in Indianapolis, and GreenClipping, a deal web site featuring green businesses in Indy. She also works for Indy Food Co-op's eastside store, Pogue's Run Grocer, and is a board member of RecycleForce, a nonprofit employing ex-offenders to recycle electronics.
