From shoe drop-off centers across the U.S., hiking boots, sneakers, sandals and baby shoes are delivered by bags and boxes to a 400,000-square-foot warehouse in Illinois, opened by a mom with a mission. Collecting and distributing 900,000 pairs of used shoes over the past decade has changed Mona Purdy's life. She is now the executive director of Share Your Soles, a charity which has no religious or government affiliation but has helped the needy in at least 29 countries and several U.S. states.

Snow boots go to American Indian reservations in South Dakota, rubber boots are destined for people scavenging garbage dumps in Haiti and slip-on water shoes are headed for the Amazon. (Continue reading Reuters story at MSNBC )