National Honor Society hosting sneaker drive at school

Members of the National Honor Society typically perform works of community service, but restrictions on activities during the COVID pandemic have precluded many of those interactions. This year, the Island school’s NHS is conducting a sneaker drive, according to adviser Janine Mahoney. “We’re partnering with GotSneakers for a year-long campaign,” she said. “We earn a nominal amount per sneaker -— but more importantly, sneakers go to countries in need and stay out of the landfill.”

If you wish to donate sneakers, there is a bin in the main lobby of the school and a different pair of NHS members will tally and ship them weekly (with free postage) all year long. “Our initial goal is 100 pairs,” Ms. Mahoney said. “It can only be sneakers — although any size is welcomed -— and we cannot accept single sneakers.”

In the United States, at least 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfills each year. More than 600 million people worldwide have no shoes. In landfills, shoes can take 30 to 40 years to decompose.

Once donated shoes are received by GotSneakers they are sorted in regional facilities by size, style and condition. They are sold at deep discounts to micro-enterprises in Bolivia, Chile, El Salvador, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Ukraine.

What is not reusable is recycled into tracks, playgrounds and other athletic surfaces around the world.