People were able to own the idea, to actually touch activism. Shoe drives were held in churches, in schools, in hospitals, and offices. Shoes were brought from every area of the state. Communities that were unable to send representatives to Lansing, or felt they had greater need for shoes in their own area held local drives and distributions. The shoes from Lansing were distributed throughout the state through United Way agencies.
Many groups plan on having shoe or boot collections as a regular annual event.
The church has conducted a holiday time shoe collection and distribution for fifteen years. They have grown to include media and corporate sponsorships for donations and publicity. They collect approximately 5000 pairs of shoes each year. They need help each year for donations and storage space. A terrific spinoff of the shoe drive was a sock collection which took place in the high schools around the state.