The Rotary Interact Club is a new club to Marin Catholic focused on building community, service, leadership, and building connections. The club is led by Kate Badorf ‘26,  Jonathan Choi ‘26, Dean Cotten ‘26, Maya Mosher ‘26, CaitlynGrace Thomspon ‘25, and Ruby Trainor ‘25; and is sponsored by the San Rafael Rotary Club. The Rotary Interact Club focuses on giving back to the community and those in need and has two or three big projects that they focus on, one of them being the Sneaker Drive. The drive is organized through a company called Sneaker Impact, and the main goal is to refurbish gently used shoes that can be given back to those in need internationally. There are many benefits to giving away your old sneakers instead of throwing them out such as reducing waste and also being able to offer them at a lower price to someone who can’t afford a pair of new shoes. Giving away used shoes to be fixed up is great for sustainability and the environment. 

So how does the drive work? The Interact Club has put bins in front of the gym and in the front office where you can drop off a pair of gently used shoes. They then collect them and ship them to Sneaker Impact who then ship the shoes to small businesses in developing countries. These businesses then restore and resell your sneakers in their communities, giving people the opportunity to buy affordable shoes that would not otherwise be available. The club will start to collect gently used or new sneakers starting January 1st and throughout the rest of the year. So, before you think about throwing out that old pair of sneakers that you don’t wear anymore or that don’t fit, donate them to the Sneaker Drive!