Christmas Without Cancer Hoping To Collect 5,000 Pairs of Gym Shoes

EVERGREEN PARK, IL – If you come across a pile of smelly old gym shoes during your spring-cleaning, Christmas Without Cancer is once again collecting used gym shoes and sneakers to raise funds for the organization, now through May 6. Drop-off locations are located throughout the south suburbs, with locations being added each day.

This year, the organization is aiming to collect 5,000 or more sneakers in gently used or worn condition in child sizes 4 and above, as well as any adult sizes, and brands are accepted. Every pair donated will be sent to GotSneakers, a sneaker recycling program which provides money for each pair of used shoes. GotSneakers keeps sneakers and gym shoes out of landfills, and/or reusing quality pre-loved sneakers for those in need.

Last year, Christmas Without Cancer donated more than 4,200 pairs of gym shoes back to Got Sneakers, raising more than $5,000 for the organization.

All reusable sneakers from the company’s sneaker drive fundraiser program are recirculated to secondhand markets, so people can access quality, pre-owned footwear at affordable prices. All heavily used and damaged footwear is recycled to reuse materials or to convert waste into new energy.

In the United States, at least 200 million pairs of shoes and sneakers end up in landfills each year. Since sneakers are manufactured with materials that are not biodegradable and produce large amounts of CO2, they remain in landfills or are incinerated, which leads to toxic chemicals in our air and soil. Shoes in landfills can take 30 to 40 years to decompose.

Convenient drop-off locations are currently located at:

• BJ McMahon’s, 5432 95th St., Oak Lawn;
• The Chicago Fixx, 4155 W. 123rd St., Alsip;
• Chulofit, 13411 S. Ridgeland Ave., Palos Heights
• Evergreen Park Public Library, located at 9400 S. Troy Ave., Evergreen Park;
• F45 Training in Mt. Greenwood, located at 3246 W. 111th St., Chicago;
• Fefles Family Chiropractic, 12505 S. Ridgeland Ave., Suite 2, Palos Heights;
• Impact Physical Therapy, 10401A S. Cicero Ave., Oak Lawn
• Oakview, Oak Lawn Park District, located at 4625 W. 110th St., Oak Lawn;
• O’Hara and Friends Salon, located at 7008 W. 127th St., Palos Heights;
• P.D.’s Place, located at 5407 W. 95th St., Oak Lawn
• JVB Physical Therapy, located at 3938 W. 111th St., #1D located, Chicago;
• Letz Box, located at 3524 W. 111th St., Chicago;
• Mt. Greenwood Park, located at 3721 W. 111th St., Chicago
• Staszewski Family, located at 10901 S. Menard Ave., Chicago Ridge;
• Worth Township Community Center, 11601 S. Pulaski Rd., Alsip;

More drop-off locations will be listed on Christmas Without Cancer, as they are added.

Since 2003, Christmas Without Cancer has aided thousands of people across the Chicago area by providing holiday gifts, as well as necessities to local families that are stricken with cancer. Founded in 2003 by an oncology nurse, the organization quietly identifies and adopts multiple families throughout the year and supplies them with gift cards for groceries, medications, gas, and other “need” items, as well as help with mortgage payments, rent, tuition and travel related expenses for treatment.