Our Mission

We provide shoes to youth in need to empower them to thrive.

We believe a new pair of shoes can be the spark for positive change and be a pathway to wellness, community, and movement. Shoes are the first step towards a healthy mind, soul, and body.

A crowded indoor event with children and adults, some children are sitting at tables, and a girl in a pink shirt is looking at a pair of Adidas shoes near a box on the table.

One Step at a Time


Youth in under-resourced communities across Indiana are wearing old shoes that limit their ability to thrive. Old shoes are often torn up, poor fitting, and dangerous. This means youth can't fully participate in sports, extracurricular activities, and school.

The ability to move in safe, well-fitting shoes is paramount in building a child's confidence and well-being.

null

The mental health crisis is getting worse.


There’s a mental health crisis in Indiana and it’s getting worse.

NSD provides support and partners with organizations in their efforts to fight the mental health crisis, particularly among populations most at-risk for adverse health outcomes.

With funding and resources we bolster existing community-serving programs, help create new ones, and do nothing short of empowering those we serve with the positive boost of a new pair of shoes - aka New Shoe Day.

Help us give more shoes to Indiana youth, so they can get moving.

Let’s break it down.


By partnering with local youth organizations, New Shoe Day elevates a child's experience in programs by providing a memorable, exciting, and empowering experience with a "New Shoe Day", their very own new pair of shoes.

Providing new shoes to kids in need

Elevating existing experiences at youth-serving organizations

Providing access to mental health materials and consulting services to educate

Equipping youth with mental health first aid training

Close-up of a runner's blue Adidas athletic shoes with green shoelaces, and a person's ankle in a black sock, standing on grass.

Our Partners

  • Logo for Girls on the Run, featuring a stylized girl running with pink and green colors and text that reads Girls on the Run.
  • A stylized logo of a wolf's head in blue, white, and green, with a compass design on the forehead.
  • Logo for 34 Eleanor Skin Lair with a stylized lion's head
  • A circular logo with a black background featuring colorful floral designs in yellow, orange, red, purple, and blue, with the words 'LA HUISAS SUMMER DELIGHTS' written around the ring.
  • Colorful flowchart with five sections labeled: 'Realization,' 'Investigation,' 'Preparation,' 'Analysis,' and 'Execution,' from top to bottom, with arrows connecting each stage.
  • Logo of AthLead Indy Track & Field featuring a stylized elephant head in dark blue with green outline, with text above and below.
  • Logo of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, featuring a blue shield with an orange flame and stylized firefighter emblem.
  • Logo for 'A Kid Again' with three overlapping teardrop shapes in green, blue, and orange, and the text 'A Kid Again' and the tagline 'Giving illness a timeout'.

FAQs

  • New Shoe Day is committed to ending shoe insecurity across the state of Indiana. To fulfill that mission, we work with community partners of all types—from schools and afterschool programs to shelters and other organizations serving Indiana youth. If you’re interested in becoming a partner of New Shoe Day, you can reach out here.

  • We believe that access to clean and safe footwear is an essential need. Too many individuals across the state of Indiana are wearing poorly-fitting, old, and unsafe shoes. Our mission to end shoe insecurity is an effort to ensure all those in need have access to footwear that allows them to be active, engaged individuals.

  • New Shoe Day is working to create a network of “Shoe Banks” where we help community partners by ensuring they always have a stock of new shoes of varying sizes so they can meet the need of an individual without proper shoes in the moment. These shoe banks are located at our individual partner locations. We also work with community partners on one-off project outside of our shoe banks—you can learn more about those partnerships here.

  • Yes, New Shoe Day is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

  • If you are interested in supporting New Shoe Day, you can contact us today and reach out for any of the following reasons:

    • To donate and help fund new shoes for our ongoing community partner projects

    • To volunteer with us at community partner events, fundraising events, or in new ways to help further the mission

    • To join Team New Shoe Day, our community group of likeminded individuals who share movement and help raise awareness for New Shoe Day and shoe insecurity in Indiana

Our Corporate Partnerships

  • Logo for GADELLNET featuring a circular symbol with a power button icon inside, and the tagline 'Technology That Powers Missions' underneath.
  • Speedometer with red needle pointing to high speed, below the text 'athletic annex'
  • Black and white logo of a 3D geometric shape resembling an abstract building or structure, with the words 'EMERGENT CONSTRUCTION' below it.
  • Logo with four blue squares forming a larger square and the letters 'CE' in large blue font next to it. Below, the text reads 'INVESTMENTS, LLC' in light gray.
  • Logo for Compass, a commercial construction group, featuring the word 'COMPASS' in large dark blue letters and the words 'COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION GROUP' underneath in light gray.
  • Logo with the word 'align' in black and 'orthodontics' in black, featuring a curved blue line underneath.
  • Colorful concentric circles with the text 'C3' in the center, surrounded by star-like shapes on a black background.
  • Logo of Lucas Oil in red and black lettering.
  • KSM CPAs & Advisors logo in blue and gray text
  • Hurlow Wealth Management Group, Inc. logo with stylized text and a checkmark inside a box.
  • A Coca-Cola logo with a vintage glass bottle behind it on a black background, with the words "Cold and Sold" underneath.
  • RCS RadCare Services logo with purple and lavender design.
  • Logo of a red basketball with a swoosh design and an infinity symbol.
  • Rehab Medical logo with black text and a red swoosh
  • Logo of Gregory & Appel Insurance featuring a stylized blue and green letter A
  • Logo of Dick's Foundation Sports Matter
  • Mono + Works logo in white on a dark background
  • SalesAi logo with a green stylized 'S' symbol and the company name in black text.
  • Logo for Butler Lacy School of Business with text in navy blue on a white background

10,000 New Shoe Days.

By 2026 we will gift more than 10,000 New Shoe Days lighting up the faces and feet of youth across Indiana.

After giving over 1500 New Shoe Days in our first two years of operating, we are excited more than ever to extend our mission to those in need and bring more passionate fan along for the ride.

A blue shoe icon.
Line graph displaying declining trend over months with blue and pink lines.