Swampscott Students Collecting Shoes For Less Fortunate

SWAMPSCOTT, MA – All the shoes in your closet – everything except for the high heels – have a second shot at life, thanks to two Swampscott students.

Gabby LaRiviere and Maggie DiGrande want you to bring your old shoes to their shoe drive from Jan. 5 to Feb. 26 at the Swampscott Middle School, High School, and JCC. The Lynch Van Otterloo YMCA in Marblehead will have a collection box from Feb. 6 to Feb 26. In turn, they will send them to Soles4Souls, a global organization the recycles shoes by donating them to be worn in impoverished areas.

LaRiviere said the process is known as upcycling, where an old object gets to live out another life. She and DiGrande said they're excited to see the community get involved with the process.

LaRiviere and DiGrande are both honor roll student athletes and members of the Swampscott High School Green Team, which LaRiviere founded last year when she learned the school didn't recycle. The pair has done several outreach projects on recycling, including making recycled art with kids.

The shoe drive accepts shoes for kids and adults, including sneakers, boots, boat shoes, flip flops, sandals, and cleats. Each collection location will have a large, labeled box where people can drop shoes off.

Image via Gabby LaRiviere