Today’s blog post is from Soles4Souls’ CEO, Buddy Teaster:
This past week I had the chance to talk with a whole range of people, companies and organizations that support Soles4Souls in so many different ways. This reminded how many different ways there are to get involved with our organization.
My first stop was at the Kiwanis Club of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Since the first shoe drive they did there seven years ago, this small town of about 15,000 people has collected almost 30,000 pairs of shoes to date. The schools, local bank and even the grocery store are on board! It was really amazing to see an entire community support the Kiwanis’ effort to help Soles4Souls.
From there, we visited with the family-owned Milwaukee group that oversees four Stan’s Footwear locations and a New Balance store. Each year for the last four years, they have collected more than 20,000 pairs of shoes. They do an incredible job of getting their customers and employees involved in the shoe drive as well. This fourth generation business currently has two generations actively involved – and it was really encouraging to know that the next generation has just as great a commitment to making a difference as that of their parents.
Then it was off to Allen Edmonds in Port Washington, Wisconsin, one of the few shoe companies that still manufacture their product here in the United States. We just finished a successful month-long promotion with them in their retail stores and we hope to expand that in the future. I was very impressed with their factory, where 200 hundred people make shoes by hand, and is remarkable in this day and age. If you have 10 minutes to spare, check out this factory tour video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVihz2DbPd8
The last stop of my trip included a visit to the Sears headquarters, just outside Chicago. While not yet a partner, we’re working on some ideas with them. Their campus of about 6000 people couldn’t have been further away from Beaver Dam. (Little know fact: Sears has the third largest cafeteria in the United States after the Pentagon and Google!)
Each group I met with last week employed a different way to make a contribution toward our goal of helping to end poverty. And that’s just one more cool thing about Soles4Souls!