The third "Old Shoes Save Lives Shipping Drive" of 2026 will accept drop-offs for a limited four-day window from Wednesday, September 30 to Saturday, October 3. The public can send clean, intact second-hand shoes, lightweight clothing, and A4-sized bags via FamilyMart store-to-store service, Chunghwa Post, or various home delivery couriers to the Bethlehem Warehouse at No. 48, Nanshi 4th Street, Linkou District, New Taipei City, to help supply wearable footwear for barefoot children in Africa.

Key Points

  • The collection period runs from September 30 to October 3, 2026, open for only 4 days, with the receiving address at Bethlehem Warehouse, No. 48, Nanshi 4th Street, Linkou District, New Taipei City.
  • For every package successfully sent via FamilyMart store-to-store service, FamilyMart will donate an additional NT$10 to subsidize cross-border sea freight.
  • Donated items are limited to enclosed footwear, lightweight boys' and girls' clothing, and bags A4-sized or larger that can hold textbooks and stationery.

The organizers explained that sand flea infestations are severe in remote African areas, and many children face long-term risks of foot ulcers and infections because they have no shoes to wear — the backdrop for the "Old Shoes Save Lives" program's years-long collection of second-hand goods for the region. This is the third shipping event of 2026, timed to coincide with seasonal wardrobe changes, encouraging people to pass on idle but good-condition items from their closets and shoe racks to their next stop.

On logistics, in addition to the existing post office and various freight services, this event specially includes FamilyMart store-to-store service. People can drop off packages at a nearby FamilyMart, and for each package successfully sent, FamilyMart sponsors NT$10 toward cross-border sea freight, reducing the cost burden of shipping goods across the ocean.

Material standards are a key emphasis of this event. The organizers remind the public that "compassion is not the same as dumping trash" — items must be clean, intact, and still usable; damaged, moldy, or unwearable items should not be sent. Footwear should mainly be enclosed types such as sneakers, casual shoes, and cloth shoes; sandals, slippers, high heels, and other shoes that are not enclosed or are inconvenient for walking are not within the collection scope. Clothing is limited to lightweight boys' and girls' summer or all-season wear suited to the local climate. Bags must be A4-sized or larger, preferably backpacks or handbags that can hold textbooks and stationery.

For packing details, the organizers suggest tying the shoelaces of the left and right shoes together before sending to prevent them from scattering and getting lost in transit; after confirming they are clean and sun-dried, simply box them up — no need for individual plastic bags inside the box, to reduce plastic use.

The contact phone number during the event is 03-4261783. For the old clothing and shoe circulation and reuse industry, this kind of time-limited collection event represents another channel through which surplus civilian goods cross the sea to Africa: one end absorbs Taiwan's seasonal discard stock of shoes and clothing, while the other responds to the footwear gap for children in remote African areas, complementing commercial second-hand clothing exports and providing operators watching the reuse market with a sample for observing material standards and logistics costs.

Source: Don't Throw Away Shoes, Bags, and Clothes You Can't Wear Yet! This 1 Place Accepts Old Clothes and Shoes, Declutter Second-Hand Items to Those Who Need Them More | Li Yiqing | Storm Lifestyle · Originally published 2026-09-29