CHANGING LIVES ONE STEP AT A TIME
ONE SHOE CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Toronto, Canada — Est. 2024
Collecting donated footwear and delivering dignity to underserved communities worldwide — powered by at-risk youth right here at home.
Toronto, Canada — Est. 2024
Collecting donated footwear and delivering dignity to underserved communities worldwide — powered by at-risk youth right here at home.
Shoes of Hope collects and distributes footwear to underserved communities while empowering youth through mentorship and community action. Every pair we send is more than a shoe — it's a statement that someone cares.
Get InvolvedWe collect, clean, and ship donated footwear to communities in need around the world — from shelters to orphanages.
At-risk youth in our community become the change-makers — gaining leadership skills while helping those in need.
Donation drives, partnerships, and events that connect families with essential support and resources.
Real kids. Real change. Every pair of shoes tells a story.
These businesses and individuals stand behind Shoes of Hope and our mission to change lives one step at a time.
Millions of children around the world walk barefoot or in damaged shoes every day. A single pair of shoes can change everything.
Growing up in Toronto, Canada as the son of Ghanaian immigrants, Maurice Danso had every opportunity in front of him. But like many young men navigating the pressures of city life, he lost his way. He made mistakes. He took the gift of his life — and the sacrifices his parents made crossing an ocean to give him a better one — for granted. For a long time, he didn't fully understand the weight of what he had.
Then came a trip to Ghana that would quietly rewrite everything.
As Maurice was saying his goodbyes and packing up to head back to Canada, his cousin pulled him aside and asked a question so simple it almost didn't register: "Maurice... can I have one of your shoes before you go?"
Maurice looked down at the pair he had on — worn, scuffed, a shoe he wouldn't think twice about tossing out back home. He felt a wave of embarrassment. He told his cousin: "Don't worry about these old things — when I get back to Canada I'll send you a brand new pair." His cousin shook his head gently and smiled. "It's okay, Maurice. These ones are still good."
He left the shoes. He flew home. And then the calls started coming.
His cousin couldn't stop talking about those shoes. He was telling the whole family, the whole community. He said he felt like "the man." He was proud. He was grateful in a way Maurice had never witnessed before — over something Maurice had almost thrown in the garbage.
That moment lodged itself deep in Maurice's chest and refused to leave.
When his father made a trip back to Ghana a few months later, Maurice packed 5 pairs of old shoes and sent them along. The reaction back home was beyond anything he expected. Then other cousins started calling. Then friends of cousins. Word spread. So Maurice went to his brothers — and together they gathered up as many shoes as they could find and sent them all over.
On his next visit to Ghana, Maurice saw the full picture with his own eyes. The shoes people were walking around in — the ones bringing so much joy and pride — were shoes that, back in Canada, would have been thrown in a bin without a second thought. Shoes with a little wear left in them. Shoes that still had miles to give. What we consider old and finished, someone else considers a blessing.
The idea hit him like a wave. Not just Ghana — the whole world. There are children everywhere walking barefoot on broken roads, going to school without shoes, living without something most of us take for granted every single morning when we get dressed. And here in Canada, closets are full of shoes collecting dust.
But Maurice didn't stop at the idea of collecting and shipping shoes. He started thinking about the young people back home in Toronto — kids growing up the way he did, making the same mistakes, heading down the same roads. Kids who needed a purpose. A reason to show up. A chance to be part of something bigger than themselves. Why not give them the opportunity to be the ones changing lives?
That is the soul of Shoes of Hope. Born from a pair of worn-out shoes left with a cousin in Ghana. Built on the belief that what you throw away can change someone's world. And driven by the conviction that at-risk youth — given the right opportunity — can be the ones doing the changing.
In 2024, Maurice turned that vision into reality and launched Shoes of Hope as a registered not-for-profit. One pair of shoes at a time. One life at a time. Changing lives one step at a time.
Put footwear on those that cannot afford shoes around the world, with production based right here in Ontario, Canada.
Address the challenges youth at risk face upon release from incarceration and work with corrections to provide this opportunity prior to release.
We have a board of directors and are looking for additional members who can provide expertise and guidance across all aspects of a not-for-profit board and its business needs.
Our production team will consist of floor staff at various stages of getting shoes out to hit the road — focusing on hiring youth at risk, as well as other staff and volunteers.
Join Our BoardEstablish a production plant within the GTA and surrounding areas.
Form alliances with sponsors and approach shoe companies to implement an old shoe donation program, increasing our volume of recycled footwear.
Seek funding grants for expansion — including donation bins with QR codes, a vehicle and trailer, production equipment and materials.
"Shoes of Hope reminded our community that even small acts of kindness can make a life-changing difference."
— Community Partner
Gather gently used or new shoes of any size in good condition.
Call or email us and we'll arrange a drop-off or pickup.
Your shoes are cleaned and sent to communities that need them.
Have shoes to donate? Want to volunteer? We'd love to hear from you.
