Copy of Shoe Bank
We will have our Shoe Bank in store at Holland Village so please bring your old pairs of shoes when you come to buy new ones.
If you have more than 10 pairs of shoes to donate you can arrange to take them directly to our charity partner Soles4Souls. Please contact Sak directly on:
Email: saks@soles4souls.org
Mobile (calls): 8922-9874
Mobile (WhatsApp): 8504-7909
Standing for Something Special
From the very first moment we talked about Ten Feet Tall, we wanted our business to stand for something special. We established our Shoe Bank and asked our customers to bring their old school or sports shoes back to us when then they came to buy new ones. Covering the soles of the feet helps prevent parasites being absorbed into the body (causing widespread gastrointestinal issues in South East Asia). We’re proud to say we’ve collected over 20,000 pairs of pre-loved shoes since we launched. We polish and pack every pair with a handwritten note from one child to the next wearer and send them via our school and corporate partners to schools in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and India. Special thanks to UWCSEA Dover, Deutche Bank, Linklaters and Million Lighting for helping us to hand deliver the shoes to children who really need them.
Stepping Up The Shoe Bank
In 2019 we developed an exciting partnership with US not-for-profit Soles4Souls which means we now collect ANY SHOES in good condition (adults’ and children’s).
In terms of short-term solutions, not only will the shoes continue to help prevent disease but they will also allow children to attend schools and receive an education, and provide a path to employment for many who cannot afford a pair of shoes.
From a longer-term perspective, pre-loved shoes will be sold to entrepreneurs in developing countries like Haiti, Honduras, Sierra Leone and the Philippines to start roadside shoe shops or market stalls. These micro-enterprises generate sustainable employment and income for local communities; a powerful way to lift individuals and their families out of poverty.
Ultimately, donating something which would otherwise have been thrown in the bin also helps to reduce landfill. Research shows Americans throw away more than 70 pounds of textiles per person per year, only 15% of which is donated or recycled. Through our work with Souls 4 Souls we can help keep shoes out of landfill and help realise the power of a pair of shoes to thousands of people all over the world.