ASICS partners with Auckland and Christchurch City Missions

Donating hundreds of shoes to people in need

The reality of homelessness in our country is hard to ignore. A recent study from Otago University found that the homeless population in New Zealand was over 40,000. For those thousands living rough, there is an ever-growing need for basic necessities, such as food, clothing and shelter.

Auckland City Mission and Christchurch City Mission have been at the forefront of this issue. In the past year, the two City Missions have helped thousands of people in need find food, clothes and a warm place to sleep for the night. A huge reason why they’re able to do this is due to the ongoing support they receive from hard working volunteers and donations from the community.

To support this and the valuable work they do, ASICS partnered with Auckland City Mission and Christchurch City Mission in their Give Back campaign, helping those less fortunate by donating unused shoes throughout Auckland and Christchurch.

“As a brand, we recognise the impact we can make in the community and we value the much-needed support Auckland and Christchurch City Missions provide to those in need. We were excited about the opportunity to engage our customers in social issues and support the work the City Missions are doing with our Give Back with ASICS campaign.”
• Shae Borman, Retail Manager, ASICS New Zealand.

Give back with ASICS 2018

This was the first year of ASICS’ brand new campaign: Give Back with ASICS. They offered $20 off a new pair of ASICS shoes for any customers who donated an old pair in store. The donated footwear was then sent to the Auckland and Christchurch City Missions.

The three-week campaign had a huge response from customers, with over 400 pairs of shoes donated across the Onehunga and Hornby stores.

We sat down with Heather, an ASICS Store Manager, to find out the inspiration behind the campaign and how it was received by the community.

Where did the idea for the campaign come from?

“The idea came from conversations with our ASICS customers and their stories about how quickly their children grew out of shoes and how there were so many pairs in the closet going to waste,” Heather tells us. “I thought about my own closet and how many pairs of pre-loved shoes were just sat there dormant while they could be put to better use.”

“So we decided to offer a trade-in for customers of pre-loved shoes against a purchase of our ASICS footwear, and the promotion was born: Give back with ASICS.”

Why did you choose the City Mission as the recipient of the donations?

“There are so many organisations doing great work in our community in Christchurch and Auckland. City Mission are one of the most active in trying to get people in need the help they require, so picking them was an easy choice.”

What were customers reactions to the promotion?

“The world is full of wonderful people and this promotion proved it. We received many family-lots of shoes, from toddler’s shoes through to Mum and Dad’s unwanted gumboots and high heels. One very generous family gave us 11 pairs!”

Are there plans to run this campaign in the future?

“Absolutely. We were really pleased with the outcome of the promotion and the City Missions were very pleased to be the recipients. We will definitely put it back on the calendar!”

How quality footwear can make a lasting impact

When we think of helping people in need, we don’t often think about footwear. But shoes are one of the most essential things we own: they get us around, protect our feet and keep us warm and dry.

Through this campaign, and talking to those at Auckland and Christchurch City Missions, it’s clear how important – and often neglected – donating footwear really is.

Alexis, from the Auckland City Mission, was delighted with the campaign for this very reason.

“To receive good quality sports shoes is an amazing gift because we have such an ongoing need for these. Often it’s not something that people think to donate, and that’s why we were so delighted to be a part of the “Give back with ASICS” promotion.”

Auckland City Mission gave out donated shoes to their homeless clients, who have an even greater need for quality footwear during the colder, winter months.

“The majority of trainers will be given to rough sleepers visiting our Homeless Community Drop-in Centre. This winter, like most Auckland winters, has been really wet, meaning our homeless clients constantly have wet, cold feet and their footwear rots when it can’t dry out. Every day we get requests for dry footwear and this campaign is helping us meet that need.”

Likewise, Christchurch City Mission sees a vital need for quality footwear for their homeless clients and families in need.

“The 200 shoes that we received are a very real, immediate and practical way of helping those we serve,” Luci from Christchurch City Mission tells us. “The shoes were made available through our day programmes and night shelters, the teams at each of these services know our men and women, they know their circumstances and their needs.”

“At this time of year we see a lot of our men, women and children wearing very worn footwear. Something like well-worn footwear can make the days and winter months feel longer and can leave them at risk of basic ailments that if left untreated can grow into larger problems.”

“It’s amazing how many problems can be solved or reduced through quality footwear. A promotion like this is really impactful because of how immediate the result is – to receive nearly 200 shoes is a significant donation that goes towards helping our community access quality footwear.”

Small actions making a big difference

The issue of homelessness in New Zealand is far from solved. Every year, places like City Missions continually rely on support from volunteers, donations and initiatives like Give Back with ASICS.

To keep this support going and to keep helping those who need it most, community engagement is crucial.

Generous people like Luci and Alexis from Christchurch and Auckland City Missions are passionate about raising awareness and sharing the kinds of meaningful impacts that all of us of can make – even from the smallest of actions.

“Quality shoes not only offer the basic function: protection for one’s feet, but also provides other indirect impacts such as growing one’s self esteem through replacing worn shoes with tidy ones.” Luci tells us. “This can help people with social connection, comfort when walking across town. New shoes have the power to restore confidence and comfort that may have worn away with their old shoes.”

So before you go throwing out a perfectly good pair of unused shoes, look out for future campaigns like Give Back with ASICS, or head down to your local City Mission. You might be surprised at how much of a difference you could make.

This post was made possible by ASICS New Zealand. ASICS are passionate about helping out the community and supporting those in need. Head along to their website to learn more about their Give Back initiatives.

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