Soles4Souls: Recycle and Reuse

Not long ago, Nashville-based shoe charity, Soles4Souls, contacted the Florida Highway Patrol and offered to collect thousands of shoes which littered the highway on behalf of the needy people the organization supports – both here in the United States and around the world.

Soles4Souls Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey, said the sight of thousands of abandoned shoes was a stark reminder of how many shoes are tossed into American landfills.

“Too many perfectly good shoes are thrown away each year, and it’s a shame. Soles4Souls is dedicated to keeping usable footwear out of our landfills and putting them on the feet of needy people around the world.”

Elsey estimates that over 300 Million people around the world don’t own a pair of shoes, and that’s where Soles4Souls steps in – the charity has been working hard and has already distributed 3.9 Million pairs of shoes since the Asian tsunami four years ago.

A recycle-and-reuse program, Soles4Souls takes ‘gently worn’ shoes and distributes them among the needy. The shoes in Miami would be distributed to the needy in Haiti, where the charity has already distributed 100,000 pairs of shoes. 

Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting and needy worldwide. So far, Soles4Souls has been able to distribute more than 3.9 million pairs of shoes to people in over 70 countries, including Honduras, Uganda, Romania, and the United States.

The charity has been featured in Runner’s World and the Green Guide by National Geographic. It has also appeared on CNN, NBC, ABC, FOX, CBS, and hundreds of regional outlets around North America.

Those interested in assisting Soles4Souls in its charitable work can visit soles4souls.org to find an event or program specifically tailored for their communities.