Do have piles of used running shoes you’d like to get rid of?

We have signed up as non-profit partner with Sneakers4Fun to donate our used running shoes.

Here’s how it works: We send them our "gently worn" new and used athletic shoes, and they will pay us 70 cents a pound, in the form of a donation to the club. They then distribute the shoes to small business owners in developing nations who sell the footwear in their communities.

They have sent me pre-paid, pre-addressed shipping bags, so no cost to us. We put up to 20 pairs in a bag, seal it and drop it at UPS.

I am happy to collect shoes at Saturday runs and fill the bags. I can also give you bags if you want to collect from your family.

Types of shoes wanted: sneakers, trainers, cross-trainers, walking shoes and racing shoes. No regular shoes or cleats. Worn is fine, but not trashed.

They like runners because we typically go through lots of shoes, and while we discard them when we believe they might be too worn for running, there’s usually a fair amount of life left in them. And we tend to take care of our shoes.

You can check out the organization online. To be clear, they are a FOR PROFIT organization who partners with nonprofits to serve this mission. The club will be the recipient of their payment, and there’s no cost to the club. To be frank, I’m happy to have found a place to get rid of my shoes, and to what appears to be a useful purpose.

Starting next week, I will bring bags with me to the Saturday run, so you can bring your shoes. Let me know if you want a bag for your family or friends.