Skechers is giving back through efforts on several fronts in support of those impacted by the floods in Texas following Hurricane Harvey and in Florida following Hurricane Irma, with additional efforts in planning stages to assist victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. The company is donating tens of thousands of pairs of Skechers shoes and socks, along with other goods to meet the immediate needs of families impacted by these disasters.
“Skechers operates retail stores in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, we’re sponsors of the Houston Marathon, and we have several key accounts in each of the affected regions,” stated Michael Greenberg, president of Skechers. “Our ties to these communities and the surrounding regions go back two decades with many friends and extended family impacted by the storms, so we have heard first-hand reports about the widespread need and have been working to lend our support. We’re already on the ground in Texas and our first shipments are delivering in Florida today, and plans are underway to also help Puerto Rico after conditions allow.”
As there will be an ongoing need in all impacted regions, Skechers is orchestrating donations in multiple phases. Immediate local product donations in Texas were organized through Skechers retail stores in the region and Children’s Hunger Fund. Additional product was distributed through the city of Manhattan Beach and the city’s new sister town of Cleveland, Texas. And going forward, Skechers is working with Delivering Good (formerly K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers) and Children’s Hunger Fund to partner with Stage Stores (parent company of PALAIS ROYAL, STAGE and BEALLS) on a local BOBS from Skechers donation event for kids in the greater Houston area on October 7. At this event, kids will receive school supplies donated by Stage Stores, in addition to BOBS from Skechers. Skechers is also helping dogs and cats in the region through a $10,000 donation to Best Friends Animal Society via the BOBS for Dogs charity program.
To help those impacted by Hurricane Irma in Florida, Skechers is partnering with Neighbors 4 Neighbors, a charity founded by CBS television following Hurricane Andrew, as well as Farm Share, and the Entercom Miami Radio Stations. The company is again donating thousands of pairs of socks and shoes for men, women, and kids to be distributed in hard-hit areas throughout Homestead and The Keys.
Further, the company is in the early stages of planning a large-scale donation event in Puerto Rico following the island-wide devastation of Hurricane Maria with expectations to be on the ground in late 2017 or early 2018 after infrastructure is back in place to support an event.
Since the program’s inception in 2011, more than 14 million pairs of BOBS shoes have been distributed to children in need around the world, and more than 7.6 million of that total has so far been distributed through Delivering Good.
