One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Put another way, one kid’s nasty pair of kicks is another kid’s rubbery playground surface.
Inspired by the hundreds of no-cost ways to make a difference featured in How to Be an Everyday Philanthropist, we decided to do our own small act of no-cost giving and hold a sneaker drive. At the end of the week, we had collected a whopping 130 beat up, stinky, too tight, too old sneakers. 
The sneakers were for the Nike-Reuse-a-Shoe program which recycles the sneakers into Nike Grind, a rubbery material used in athletic surfaces like running tracks, basketball courts and playgrounds. Nike has donated Nike Grind to 300 sport and playground surfacing projects across the country.
The picture above doesn’t do the pile justice. It took three people toting four huge garbage bags through the hot, crowded streets of midtown to get them to the Niketown store.
It may not be John D. Rockefeller’s brand of philanthropy, but then again, the scientists of his day never found a clever way to recycle top hats.
John D. Rockefeller contemplates the merits of a Standard Oil spats drive
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