For One, Another

This message is in partnership with TOMS

One for One ®

It’s a simple idea. A belief that getting and giving can be one. It’s how two strangers on either side of the planet, or the street, can enrich each other’s lives.

At TOMS, buying a pair of shoes means giving a new pair of shoes. Once a pair is purchased, TOMS works with its network of more than 100 Giving Partners (domestic and international) to distribute the same number of shoes that customers buy.

TOMS doesn’t just drop off shoes. They work with the local Giving Partners to provide the proper sizes, quantities and styles required by the regions they serve. For instance, winter boots are given in Eastern Europe in the winter when it’s cold and snowy and wet weather slip-ons are given in Southeast Asia during the rainy season.

Giving shouldn’t come with hidden costs, so TOMS helps cover expenses to transport and distribute the shoes to ensure they reach the children who need them. This includes freight, vehicle rental, storage, labor, and even delivery by donkey if that’s what it takes.

When TOMS Giving Partners receive the new shoes, they place the shoes directly on the children’s feet. These distributions are integrated into partners’ larger programs in health, education and community development. The shoes are often given with services like health care, hygiene education, school assistance or basic necessities. Shoes are distributed this way because TOMS believes that there is a greater impact on children’s health and education when strategically integrated into Giving Partners’ programming.

TOMS is committed to giving responsibly and sustainably and is always learning. TOMS assesses the impact of their Giving through partner feedback, site visits and commissioned field studies, then adapts to make it more effective.

TOMS doesn’t just sell shoes. It’s a movement committed to improving lives of people in need all over the world. One for One. For one, another.