Trenton Fisher, a seventh-grader at Oak Harbor Middle School, donated 196 pairs of tennis shoes to Ryan’s House for Youth, a Freeland non-profit serving youths who lack permanent housing.

In an email to Ryan’s House for Youth, Fisher wrote that he is participating in a leadership class, and was tasked with completing a community service project of his choice.

He chose to do a new and used tennis shoe drive in tandem with the Whidbey Island Marathon/Half-Marathon.

Fisher explained that he and his mother are runners and use their shoes solely for running about 300-500 miles. The shoes still have several months of use left in them, he said, and instead of throwing them away they could be donated to those in need.

Fisher placed donation boxes in the Oak Harbor area from April 2-19, the day of the marathon/half-marathon.

In the email, Fisher explained that he chose Ryan’s House for Youth because it serves an “overlooked” demographic of 13-17 year olds.

The shoes will be helpful for those involved in sports as well as any who are simply in need of a good pair, he wrote.