Key takeaways
- Drop gently used shoes at any of our three Atlanta stores.
- Soles4Souls distributes to people in need in more than 120 countries.
- Donations are tax-deductible.
- Wearable shoes stay out of landfill, where footwear does not break down.
We have spent fifty years believing that a good pair of shoes can change someone's day, and that belief is behind our partnership with Soles4Souls.
Drop them in the box, and that is the whole process
Bring gently used shoes to any of our locations and put them in the Soles4Souls collection box. No form, no appointment. The Nashville-based nonprofit sorts and distributes footwear to people in need in more than 120 countries, and they have given away over 16 million pairs since 2005.
Four things make a donation usable
- Wearable condition. Scuffs and creases are fine. Separated soles and holes are not.
- Pairs, tied or banded together. Single shoes cannot be distributed.
- All sizes, adults' and children's, with children's sizes consistently in shortest supply.
- Clean and dry. A quick wipe down makes a real difference at the sorting end.
Footwear does not recycle well
Most shoes are a bonded mix of rubber, foam, and textile that cannot be separated economically. Keeping a wearable pair in circulation beats any recycling process currently available.
Soles4Souls also runs micro-enterprise programs, supplying donated shoes to small entrepreneurs in developing economies to sell in their own communities, which builds income rather than dependency.
Some of it stays in Atlanta
With help from community partners, we support local distribution through the Atlanta Union Mission, so a share of what comes through our doors stays in the city.
Donations are tax-deductible. Ask at the counter for a receipt.
