Does anyone know...

[Lonelymum]

...what happens to shoes you put in those big shoe banks in car parks? You know the ones next to the paper and bottle banks. Do they get recycled into something or are they actually passed on to needy people or charities etc? I ask because I literally have an entire packing case full of old kids shoes worn by my 4 children. The occasional pair gets passed down to younger children, but the vast majority are just gathering dust and taking up valuable space. I know most people buy children's shoes new, but it occurred to me that my children's used shoes could still be worn by less fortunate people, maybe in the third world? Don't want to sound patronising but do want to re-use so many shoes! So is the shoe bank in the car park the way to go?

Bump! Someone must know!

Our local shoe bank is run by the Salvation Army, and they pass the shoes on to homeless or needy people. I don't know if they all run along those lines though.

Thanks WWB. I have never seen anything written on the bank to tell me what happens to the shoes or who is running the bank. Presumably yours says Salvation Army on it?

"Shoes that can be reconditioned and reused are sold to companies and individuals in the Third World and Eastern Europe who repair and refurbish the shoes, then selling them on at affordable prices to local people. Shoes that cannot be refurbished are stripped and the materials recycled."

found this by googling.

It doesn't have it on the front of the bank, but there's an address on the back. They also have a notice up in the SA shop near to my mother that asks for shoes to be donated via the bank to be passed on to those who need it, rather than donated to the shops to be sold on.

Thanks for the link LL. I used to live in Sussex too! So I suppose if I look up my local council, it might tell me what happens to the shoes in this area?

they are usually sent to needy people,. for example the homeless or those in war torn or 3rd world countries.

So it would be a good idea to dispose of my children's shoes there, do you think?