Shoe Aid (The Footwear Charity)

There is a place where thousands of men, women, and children wear footwear that is not fit for purpose. At least 280,000 homeless people (10,000 living on the streets) have no shoes or shoes that are falling to pieces, and that place is the UK. *More than one in five people in the UK (22%) were in poverty in 2021/22 – 14.4 million people. Of these, 8.1 million were working-age adults, 4.2 million were children and 2.1 million were pensioners. *Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report on Poverty in the UK 2024 Shoe Aid is supported with donations by some of the largest organisations in the UK which helps us to reduce footwear poverty, footwear waste and its impact on the environment, all of which are helping Shoe Aid deliver its MISSION: “Provide free footwear through a collection and distribution network, so no child or adult need go without shoes” The Problem is Serious - Over 2 million shoes are thrown into landfill every week. On average, one pair of shoes takes upwards of one thousand years to biodegrade (synthetic fibres and textiles. Shoe Aid is helping to avoid an environmental disaster for shoe manufacturers and distributors; in the same way super-markets are currently getting blamed for food waste.” At the same time distributing tens of thousands of shoes to over 400 organisations, charities, schools and support groups. “Shoe Aid are reducing the number of shoes being thrown away into landfill by increasing shoe donations through supporters of the charity with collection points.