A driven and passionate 8th-grade student at Adams Middle School has already raised around $3,500 benefiting the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter in Branford.

Now, she wants your shoes.

Addison Smith, who has spent a good portion of her life supporting furry friends in need at the animal shelter, is partnering with a program called Got Sneakers to collect worn out or unused sneakers from the community, with proceeds continuing to support vital medical and adoption services for local pets.

“I really like animals, and for the past couple of years I’ve been getting donations for the animal shelter,” Smith said. “I thought it would be a good idea to get some fundraising for them.”

After a socially distanced campaign of door-knocking and emailing, Smith said she stumbled across Got Sneakers, a Florida-based organization that calls itself a “social enterprise” and collects gently used sneakers for resale, paying a small amount for each pair.

Smith said Got Sneakers also uses the rubber in unwearable sneakers to make “athletic surfaces.”

“It helps animals and it helps people who don’t have sneakers,” Smith said.

Smith said she plans to donate that money to the animal shelter, while simultaneously keeping sneakers out of landfills.

Smith’s mother, Jen Cohen, said that for six years on her birthday Smith has asked family members and friends to bring needed items or donate money to the animal shelter in lieu of giving her presents.

In recent months, Smith said she heard the pleas of the shelter on social media, which provides direct veterinary services as well as programs like providing pet food for struggling families and rehabilitating sick or abused animals.

She said all the money she is raising is for “animals who are hurt or sick or any animals that need veterinary care.”

The Got Sneakers campaign is just another way she hopes to continue that support, Smith said, as the shelter continues to care for local pets, including recently rescuing 30 cats from an abusive home, according to its Facebook page.

Boxes to collect sneakers (no boots, sandals, or dress shoes) for the campaign have been set up at Guilford Social Services and the Community Center, Smith said.