Beverly Drive-Up, Drop-Off Shoe Donation Day Set For November

BEVERLY, MA — The Ayers Ryal Side Parent Teacher Organization will host a shoe and sneaker donation day on Nov. 5 to collect items for the campaign to build a new playground at the elementary school.

The drop-off event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the school on Woodland Avenue.

The collection event is part of the campaign to collect gently used shoes and sneakers for resale with money going toward the $60,000 needed to build the new playground.

The city has committed to paying $100,000 toward the $160,000 project.

The PTO's partner organization, Funds2Orgs, accepts shoes, sneakers, sandals, and even cleats. Shoes must be a pair and cannot be wet or moldy. Ice skates and roller skates will not be accepted.

Community members who cannot make the dropoff day and would like to donate shoes can find a collection box at the following locations:

• Ayers/Ryal Side Elementary School, Woodland Ave., Nov. 7 (Election Day)
• Barber's Edge, 324 Rantoul St., Beverly, Sept. 18 to Nov. 1.
• Beverly Fire Department, 15 Hale St., Beverly, Oct. 21 to Nov. 17
• Beverly Senior Center, 90 Colon St., Beverly, Oct. 23 to Nov. 10
• North Shore Children’s Museum, 10 Main St., Peabody, Oct. 21 to Nov. 17
• Unpacked Living, 66 Maple St., Danvers, Sept. 18 to Nov. 1

All donated shoes will be cleaned, restored, and redistributed throughout the Funds2Orgs network to small business partners in developing nations. The shoes become inventory and an economic lifeline for these business owners who sell the shoes for a living wage.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)