Got Shoes?

We love how a simple good intention can blossom into an annual campaign - that's just how it seems to work in Mar Vista. Melissa Stoller shares how cleaning out her shoe cabinet launched an annual campaign...

I am a shoe-aholic. I love shoes. I love to shop for shoes. A simple rule keeps my abit under control: if there isn’t room for a new pair in my shoe cabinet (yes, I have a shoe cabinet) something must go.

Last year I decided to get rid of several pairs of shoes. My daughter suggested I donate them to Soles4Souls, a shoe charity. I checked it out and was inspired. I decided to get rid of every pair that hurt my feet…unless they were really, really cute. Shoes that I hadn’t worn for the past year also went into the pile.

My daughter-in-law suggested we have a Shoe Tea Party (or, as we put it, a party at which tea would be served). Everyone would bring shoes. I sent an invitation to Sherri Akers and she suggested I collect shoes at the MVCC Green Booth at the Mar Vista Farmers’ Market.

Julie Baylor of the Radisson LAX saw a posting about the shoe drive and asked if the hotel employees could participate. They’re back again this year!

Miss Earth USA also collected shoes and brought them to the Farmers’ Market, including an autographed pair for the Soles4Souls shoe museum.

When it was all over, we had collected over 800 pairs of shoes! I was hooked. This year, we are collecting shoes two weeks in a row at the Farmers’ Market. We collected almost 300 pairs Oct. 30. I’ll be at the Farmer’s Market again on Sunday, Nov. 6. We collected almost 300 pairs Oct. 30. I’ll be at the Farmer’s Market again on Sunday, Nov. 6. Other collection sites include Manu International on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica (150 pairs of shoe so far!), 24 Hour Fitness on Ocean Park Blvd. (tell them you have shoes to drop off—the collection box is in an employees-only area), and my porch (11430 Kingsland St.)