Would you pay $1,000 for a pair of shoes? How about a pair of used shoes? Before you answer, keep in mind that these shoes come gently worn with great stories — and are attached to a great cause. Buy a pair of these pricy pre-loved shoes, and you’ll be sending a grand to the Rescue Union School District in Northern California, which is facing serious budget cuts.

 

Shoes to the Rescue is the brainchild of Michele Miller, the principal of Jackson Elementary in El Dorado Hills. According to the Sacramento Bee, Michele decided to donate the shoes “hoping they will help close a budget gap she says is estimated at a minimum of $1.4 million.”

 

If you love shoes — but often have trouble justifying the high cost to your wallet and the environment — buying from Shoes to the Rescue should be a near guilt-free experience. After all, all your money goes to keeping libraries open and supporting personnel at public schools. And the shoes are pre-loved — so you’d be reusing!

 

Interested in the shoes? You can pick from a wide variety — from boots to sandals to sneakers — which come in sizes between 6 1/2 and 7 1/2. Each pair of shoes will be delivered with a little card with a handwritten story by Miller, recounting the favorite time when she wore that pair of shoes.

 

It’s unclear how many shoes are up for sale, exactly. Sacramento Bee says 285 pairs, Shoes to the Rescue’s website says 300 pairs, while Miller says 350 pairs in the video she made for her fundraising effort (below). What is clear is the price per pair of shoes: A simple $1,000, regardless of the type of shoe.

 

Of course, you can always give more than a grand to the cause. Want to give less? Shoes to the Rescue will take donations of any amount! You won’t get to walk in Miller's shoes, but you’ll give support to her school district.