A Christmas drive for sneakers for people in need collected hundreds of pairs this holiday season, one of its founders said yesterday.

Ezekiel Stoneham said that the annual 100kickz campaign, which this year started on December 2, had netted more than 500 pairs of shoes.

Mr Stoneham added: “I still have a few people who need to drop off some. So that number is probably going to end up being about 600.”

He said that many people had stepped up to help out with this year’s drive.

Mr Stoneham, 30, added: “It’s not just me — there’s a lot of people behind the scenes who helped me do what I had to do.

“I couldn’t do it by myself — there’s no way.”

He said: “Thank you to everyone who donated, thank you to everybody who helped, thank you to everyone who reached out to keep me on track.”

Mr Stoneham launched the sneaker drive in 2016 with friends Scott Nearon and Akil Trott to collect shoes and hand them over them to people in need.

The campaign name reflected the group’s initial target of collecting 100 pairs that first year — but the drive ended with 270 pairs.

The Southampton resident said the total number of pairs of sneakers collected by the campaign each year was always a bit of a guess.

He explained: “There’s a lot I can’t account for. When we get things in on Saturday, sometimes we have homeless people that come around and we give shoes right back out.

“Shoes like that are just never accounted for.”

This year’s collection ran until December 27.

People dropped off pairs of new and lightly used sneakers at Alchemy Fitness Studio, on Reid Street; Bulli Social, on Queen Street; Fun Zone, in Southside, St David’s; and Island Paints, on Wellbottom Road, Warwick.

Mr Stoneham said that the process to sort the shoes had now begun.

He said that the Coalition for the Protection of Children and Family Centre would receive most of the sneakers.

Island group homes for children will also benefit.

Mr Stoneham said that he preferred to supply grassroots organisations.

He explained: “I see the actual outcome immediately — I know the kids they are going to.”

The shoes will be handed out from next month.

Mr Stoneham said people who had donated and wanted to see where the shoes ended up should follow the 100kickz Instagram page.

He added that anyone who had their own ideas for charitable drives should turn them into realities.

Mr Stoneham said: “If you have an idea like this, the easiest thing to do is just to go ahead and do it.”