City Sports, a 26-store specialty retail chain, is launching a campaign with Soles4Souls to collect thousands of shoes from its customers to help fight poverty and support those in need.
Starting August 12 and running through September 8, City Sports will
collect used shoes in its 26 stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New
York, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and
Vermont. The retailer is encouraging runners, athletes and anyone who
has shoes they no longer need to donate their unwanted soles. Each
person who makes a donation will receive a $20 voucher toward the
purchase of a pair of shoes at City Sports. More information and
restrictions can be found at www.citysports.com/soles4souls.
Soles4Souls is an international anti-poverty organization that monetizes used shoes and clothing to create sustainable jobs and fund direct relief efforts, including distribution of new shoes and clothing.
Founded in 2006, Soles4Souls has distributed more than 22 million pairs of shoes in 127 countries. The organization, which holds the highest rating from nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator, distributes used shoes to microenterprise programs that create jobs in Haiti and other nations. Among its relief programs, the organization distributed over 200,000 new pairs of shoes to help Philippine victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
“We’re excited to partner with Soles4Souls and our customers to create positive change and to help combat poverty,” said City Sports CEO Marty Hanaka. “With our deep roots in running footwear, we’re able to use our store locations as collection hubs to support the great work Soles4Souls is doing. Serious runners wear out their shoes approximately every two to three months. That’s a lot of shoes that can be put to good use.”
The connection between poverty and shoes is well documented. The World Bank estimates that approximately 400 million children worldwide more than the entire U.S. population live in pronounced poverty. Millions of these children will grow up never having had a pair of shoes, resulting in significant ramifications for their health and well-being.
Lacking proper footwear, countless children will not be able or permitted to attend school. The lack of adequate footwear puts tens of millions of boys and girls at risk of infection from soil-transmitted parasitic diseases including hookworm and other potentially debilitating illnesses.
“The simple truth is that almost anyone with a closet has shoes they don’t wear, or an old pair that could end up in a landfill,” said Hanaka. “Give those unwanted shoes to us and know that you’re helping to affect positive change for those who need it most.”
City Sports offers performance footwear, apparel, and equipment for running, fitness, swimming, cycling, tennis, team sports, and more. City Sports carries an assortment from leading brands including Under Armour, Nike, Patagonia, The North Face, Fitbit, Asics and Adidas, as well as niche specialty brands and its own CS by City Sports label.
