We collect donations of good-condition, pre-worn, outgrown shoes. Via our network of partners, we distribute these shoes to those who need them most.  Since 2013 we have distributed 2.75 million+ pairs of shoes in 54 countries. We also send shoes across the UK - 41,000+ pairs in the last 12 months.  

Why we do it
Overseas, the WHO estimates that over 1.5 billion people are infected with parasitic diseases that could be prevented by wearing proper shoes. An estimated 300 million children around the world walk barefoot, leaving them vulnerable to infection by parasites, such as hookworm. In many countries around the world, education is free to access, but schooI uniform (including shoes) is mandatory. This means if you can’t afford a pair of shoes, you can’t go to school.
In the UK, child poverty is on the rise, now reaching 4.3 million (www.gov.uk March 2021). Two in five families fell into poverty in 2020, meaning hundreds of thousands were struggling to pay bills and cover costs for their child during the pandemic - even resorting to buying children’s shoes on hire purchase (Child Poverty Action Group, 2020).  

Corporate partnerships: 
Most of our shoes are donated by members of the public.  We also work with shoe retailers and manufacturers and accept in-kind donations of new footwear. 
We regularly host groups of volunteers from companies - who help out in our warehouse processing and packing shoes.  

Good for the planet:
Poor quality new shoes are difficult to recycle and easy to throw away.  90% of unwanted, outgrown shoes end up in landfill (Traid 2020). Trainers can last up to 1,000 years in landfill (The Guardian 2009)

Sal’s Shoe Shops
In 2020 we opened 3 Sal's Shoes shops in existing community spaces in the UK where families are able to access good quality footwear without charge.

We are a registered charity in England and Wales (1171670) and certified as equivalent to a Certified Public Charity in the United States.

Sal's Shoes

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