Brittney Griner’s Sole Shoe Drive back for year seven

Griner initially started the drive to collect shoes for homeless individuals in the Phoenix community. In 2016, Griner was inspired to start the initiative after driving home from practice and seeing homeless Arizonans walking around barefoot in the summer.

It started out with Griner bringing shoes with her while she drove in case she saw anyone that needed them. Shortly afterward, it became a funded organization within the Mercury itself, partnered with Phoenix Rescue Mission. 

In 2022, the campaign received 3,400 pairs of new shoes, while raising $30,000 for critical resources for Phoenix Rescue Mission, according to ABC.

“Thank you to all the fans in Phoenix and league-wide who joined me in supporting this cause by donating shoes or writing letters,” said Griner last year. 

“It’s been super helpful with people living on the streets who are homeless,” said Kaesi Carroll with the Phoenix Rescue Mission, according to Essence. “We can take the shoes to them.”

Thanks to commitments from the rest of the WNBA, similar shoe drives were seen in 10 various markets, with more than 3,400 pairs collected.

Shoes can be dropped off and donated at any Mercury weekend home games this season, as well as Fan Appreciation Night on Sept. 19. Shoes can also be dropped off at any time at the team shop

*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information. SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*

Justin LaCertosa covers Phoenix Sports News for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @LaCertosaSports