SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — It seems that every year he outdoes himself.
Ralph Rotella, the owner of Discount Shoe Repair in downtown Syracuse, holds an annual shoe drive every holiday season. This year, his goal was to collect over 40,000, but he brought in thousands more.
Rotella collected 43,120 pairs of shoes in 2024. In 2023, the grand total was 38,841. He has been holding this drive for 14 years, surpassing 250,000 shoes collected and counting.
“As a matter of fact, last night, I got home and there were boxes next to my porch that were donated for next year. We already got a couple hundred pair for next year,” Rotella said.
All of the shoes are donated to the Rescue Mission Alliance of Syracuse.
“Last night we had 190 people stay at the shelter… so we’ll make sure everyone there has a pair of shoes to wear first and foremost,” said Mackenzie Naum, senior director of development with the Rescue Mission Alliance.
Other shoes will go to the Thrifty Shopper, and the proceeds from their sales will go back to the Rescue Mission. One pair of shoes equates to three meals for three people.