From January 5th to the 16th, WVHS Recycling Club sponsored a shoe drive, collecting used shoes of any style or condition to donate to Soles4Souls. This nonprofit organization aims to keep used shoes out of landfills, diverting them to communities in need. Soles4Souls has four subdivisions of their larger nonprofit, which each have their own specific mission. 

1. 4Opportunity – Soles4Souls sells quality shoes from their collection drives for a low price to people in lower-income economies, helping those in need create their own businesses selling shoes, thus creating local jobs in communities in need.
2. 4EveryKid – In conjunction with schools in the United States, Soles4Souls provides running shoes to students experiencing homelessness, allowing them to focus on being in the classroom or after school activities without a physical barrier. 
3. 4Relief – During times of crisis, Soles4Souls donates shoes and clothing to people displaced by natural disasters or other personal emergencies. 
4. 4ThePlanet – Soles4Souls’ work ensures people and large corporations have the opportunity to divert their used shoes and clothes from landfills, protecting the environment, diverting 92.6 million pounds of waste from landfills to date (Soles4Souls FY25 Annual Report)

Even by just collecting 18 (and a half) pairs of shoes, WVHS Recycling has diverted 23.13 pounds of trash from local landfills. According to the Soles4Souls website, this provides 167.43 dollars of economic relief to people in lower-income communities. But the impact doesn’t have to end here- you can donate more shoes and clothes to the collection bins at the DSW store in Crestview anytime!