20 Years of Creating Opportunity

Twenty years ago, the world looked very different.

Facebook had just opened to the public. The iPhone was still a year away. Social media, as we know it today, was barely a concept. And in the footwear world, a small startup called TOMS started talking about “One for One” giving. 

Love them or hate them, those three examples had an enormous impact on our society. But they didn’t change everything… the devastating impact of poverty, the dignity that comes with opportunity, and the power of people coming together to meet a need. 

Soles4Souls was founded in 2006 to address a simple but deeply human problem: people in need lacked access to something essential, while millions of perfectly usable new and used shoes were being thrown away. 

At the time, this disconnect was rarely questioned. Sustainability was not yet a priority, used shoes were seen as waste, and excess product was treated as an unavoidable by-product of growth. But for the people Soles4Souls served—children unable to attend school, adults looking to provide for their families, communities rebuilding after crisis—the consequences were immediate and personal. Shoes were not an afterthought; they were a gateway to health, dignity, and opportunity. 

From the beginning, our focus was on people—meeting urgent needs with dignity—while also addressing the waste and inefficiencies embedded in the system itself. 

For 20 years, Soles4Souls has operated at both levels: serving individuals and families in moments of need, and building the partnerships and infrastructure required to do so at scale. We have learned that meaningful impact happens when compassion and systems work together—when human need drives innovation, not the other way around. 

As we mark our 20th anniversary in 2026, the world has changed. Circularity is becoming a business imperative. Sustainability is increasingly expected. Brands, donors, and partners are asking harder questions about responsibility and impact. These shifts affirm what Soles4Souls has practiced since the beginning, but they do not replace the heart of our mission. Because behind every pair of shoes is flesh and blood, a person not a statistic: 

• a child who wants to fit in at school but is embarrassed by not having shoes 
• a parent who wants to provide education, food, and shelter to her family
• a family recovering after loss through fires, floods, earthquakes, and war 

Looking ahead to the next twenty years, some changes are already visible. Circular systems will be demanded. Data and technology will improve transparency and efficiency. Cross-sector partnerships will become essential to scale solutions. At the same time, many of the greatest needs—and opportunities—will arrive without warning. New crises will emerge. Old inequities will take new forms. 

Soles4Souls enters its third decade grounded in what has always guided us: a commitment to dignity, access, and opportunity for people in need. The systems will evolve. The tools will change. But our purpose remains the same—stepping forward to ensure that there is no wasted potential, that partnership, trust, and respect drives us at every level.

Because that’s how we’ll be able to serve, whatever that looks like, for the next 20 years. 

It’s been a ride and will be an even wilder one ahead and I hope you’ll join us!