Return to Headlines
Giving old shoes a new life.
Did you know that annually, approximately 300 million (yes, million) shoes are discarded in the United States? Sakai students recently saved 3,674 shoes (or 1,837 pairs) from ending up in the landfill. The shoes the students collected will go to:
- Others who need shoes via Soles4Souls
- Seattle Children’s Boutique that helps to raise money for Seattle Children’s Hospital by reselling clothes, shoes and household goods
- The Nike Reuse-a-Shoe Program that turns rubber soles shoes into athletic resurfacing material called Nike Grind
- Islanders who could use a pair of cleats via Bainbridge Parks and Recreation
- Sakai students’ upcycling efforts that will be featured at the Trashion Show hosted by Islandwood April 29
The shoe campaign tied-in with math, science and social studies lessons.
Special thanks to:
- Island Fitness, Bainbridge Athletic Club and The Dahlia Center for providing shoe drop-off locations
- Bainbridge Self Storage who provided space to store the shoes
- Town & Country Markets for promoting the shoe drive on their reader board