Nike's Give Fresh Air Shoe Drive Serves Local Communities >>FUTUREVVORLD

Mar 09, 2021

Nike Launches “Give Fresh Air” Shoe Drive To Support Local Communities

Mar 09, 2021

In anticipation of its yearly Air Max Day celebration on March 26, Nike is bringing back 2019’s Give Fresh Air program. During the month of March, Nike will be working with a selection of its longtime North American boutique partners to launch a multi-city shoe drive, where donations will go directly to local non-profit organizations in their respective communities.

With hopes of reinvigorating the “community” aspect of sneaker culture, Nike and its retailer consortium are asking their neighbors to donate new or gently used adult and children’s shoes, from any brand, not just the Swoosh. The shops, which includes A Ma Maniere, Bodega, Concepts, Kith, Undefeated and others, will open their shoe drive for select days only. They’ll then hand over the collected feets to their community partners, who will distribute the shoes to those in need in the local communities they serve.

nike give fresh air max day 2019 2021 shoe drive sneakers donations recycle upcycle footwear stores list kith undefeated bait social status a ma maniere livestock ubiquitous oneness sneaker politics sneakersnstuff bows and arrows laced likelihood concepts — Nike

“This Air Max Day is about taking action, and we know that change happens when people come together,” Nike states. “Give Fresh Air is a rally cry to unify sneaker culture around a shared passion to ignite change. Nike and our partners are creating ways to give ‘Air’ and partner with local organizations to give back to their communities.”

Only accepting new or gently used footwear limits the challenges many charities, clothing drives, donations bins and the like encounter. Charity organizations like The Salvation Army and Goodwill receive heaps of unwearable clothing — stained, ripped, dirty or otherwise — that can’t be sold or given away, forcing them to spend money to sort and recycle. Unfortunately however, much of that unsuitable clothing, anywhere between 40-90% according to various reports, ends up in landfills or exported into the global secondhand clothing trade. Another problematic market as the clothing there undercuts local artisans, and often ends up buried, burned or in landfills.