Shoe Drive Returns To Loudoun To Support Mothers Against Drunk Driving

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — This month, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is partnering with the local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) on a shoe drive to raise funds for local efforts to prevent drunken driving.

Loudoun residents can bring their old shoes, in any condition, to their local police station. GotSneakers will give MADD $1 for every pair of shoes collected.

GotSneakers will redistribute shoes in good condition in impoverished nations around the world. Shoes that are worn down will be broken down and used as surfaces for playgrounds, gyms, tracks, courts, and synthetic turf.

Susan Cleveland is a court monitor, victim advocate, and walk coordinator with MADD's Loudoun chapter. She has also helped run the shoe drive for several years.

Cleveland noted that things were a bit more difficult before the sheriff's office started hosting collection sites. "I must've had 2,000 shoes in my basement," Cleveland told Patch.

Cleveland said that the community response has only grown in recent years, even throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

"People always like programs where they can give back," Cleveland said. "Especially when their kids outgrow their shoes every month."

MADD will use the funds raised from the shoe drive to assist in their local efforts. Their programs include a victim advocacy program that helps guide people through the court process, a court monitoring system, parent workshops, and sobriety checkpoints with the sheriff's office.

The shoe drive will run from March 1 to March 31. Anyone looking to donate shoes should tie the pair together and bring them to a Loudoun police station from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a weekday.

Here are the sheriff's office stations around the county:

• Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Headquarters: 803 Sycolin Road in Leesburg
• Dulles South Public Safety Center: 25216 Loudoun County Pkwy, Chantilly
• Eastern Loudoun Station: 446620 East Frederick Dr., Sterling
• Ashburn Station: 20272 Savin Hill Dr., Ashburn
• Western Loudoun Station: 47 W. Loudoun St, Round Hill