Rack Room Shoes raised more than $1.47 million during its 2017 Shoes That Fit campaign. Each Back to School season, the family footwear retailer hosts a Shoes That Fit fundraiser event, empowering customers to give back to their local communities by supplying children in need with new shoes.
One hundred percent of the money raised by each store stays in the community and is channeled through local school liaisons, who coordinate the distribution of new footwear to area schools and students in need.
“The schools we work with report that a new pair of shoes is an enormous boost to a child’s self-esteem, especially when they understand that someone cared about them enough to buy them something new,” said Shoes That Fit Executive Director Amy Fass. “Rack Room Shoes’ commitment to giving, and the dedication of their employees who work with the schools, is inspirational and we are grateful for their support and partnership.”
During the Back to School campaign, Rack Room Shoes invited customers to give to the cause through in-store and online contributions, which resulted in $1.1 million in customer donations. Rack Room Shoes’ additional 2016 holiday fundraising and a $300,000 corporate donation pushed the final amount to more than $1.47 million.
Over the last decade, Rack Room Shoes has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with the non-profit organization Shoes That Fit. The money raised is channeled through local school liaisons who identify students and school systems in need, while also coordinating the distribution of new footwear.
Since 2007, Rack Room Shoes has raised more than 5.6 million and donated more than 200,000 pairs of shoes.
According to Fass, many people are surprised to learn that more than one in five children in the U.S. lives in poverty. Additionally, Fass says that shoes are one of the most expensive items for low-income families to buy.
“Our team is certainly humbled by our customers’ willingness to join our company-wide mission of supporting programs, such as Shoes That Fit, that provide children with a strong foundation for the future,” said Mark Lardie, Rack Room Shoes president and CEO. “We look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.”
