The ReRUN Shoe Project started in June of 2016 at a local road race in Kingston, Ontario. The idea of giving shoes another life sparked from a personal donation that was made earlier in the year to a local youth-sport organization that gives underprivileged youth the opportunity to participate in sport. The realization of just how many shoes one runner can accumulate over such a short period of time was incredible, but more importantly, it was realizing the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child. With no organization alike to donate shoes at the local level, and on a regular basis, we decided to start The ReRUN Shoe Project. This project is about collecting lightly used shoes that are no longer fit for running, but still have plenty of life left in them. In reducing the amount of unused shoes a runner has, and reusing them by donating to local organizations, we have created ReRUN, where we “give shoes another life to improve the lives of others”.
Our mission is to bring The ReRUN Shoe Project to different cities across Canada, and get shoes in the hands (or rather, on the feet!) of locals in need who might not otherwise have a quality pair of shoes to participate in an active lifestyle. By establishing ongoing drop-off locations where runners can bring their lightly used shoes, we hope to connect with fellow athletes and help them give back to their local communities. In doing so, together we can reduce, reuse, and pass on the gift of running.