Rack Room Shoes Breaks Fundraising Record for Kids in Need

Rack Room Shoes and its loyal customers put their best foot forward once again, raising a record-breaking $1.67 million-plus for the family footwear chain’s annual Shoes That Fit campaign. Each back-to-school season, the fundraiser empowers customers to give back to their local communities by supplying children in need with new shoes.

“Our team is very humbled by our customers’ willingness to join our company-wide mission of supporting charities, such as Shoes That Fit,” states Mark Lardie, president and CEO of Rack Room Shoes. “We wouldn’t be able to impact our communities in such a profound way without their generosity and support.”

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. Rack Room Shoes invited customers to give to the cause through in-store and online contributions during the campaign, which resulted in $1,077,968 in customer donations. The chain’s additional 2020 holiday fundraising and a $150,000 corporate donation pushed the final amount to more than $1.67 million.

Since 2007, Rack Room Shoes has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the non-profit organization Shoes That Fit. During the 14-year partnership, the 500-plus stores, Charlotte, NC-based chain has raised more than $10.9 million and donated more than 400,000 pairs of shoes.

“Now more than ever, children and families around the country need support,” says Amy Fass, executive director of Shoes That Fit. “We are pleased to continue our partnership with Rack Room Shoes so we can help children in need have new athletic shoes to attend school with dignity and joy, prepared to learn, play and thrive.”

The October/November 2024 Issue

Read Now