Although the Los Angeles wildfires are no longer front-page news, local businesses and residents are still facing profound losses as they struggle to rebuild. Soles4Souls is continuing to work to support those affected, and the nonprofit has received a huge boost from global footwear company Caleres.
The partnership includes several key contributions. Importantly, Caleres has donated its partner freight services to transport disaster relief loads from the main Soles4Souls warehouse facility in Alabama to its regional distribution center in San Bernardino, CA. Caleres is also providing additional warehouse space in California to manage the overflow of products for other Soles4Souls programs, like 4EveryKid, which provides new athletic shoes to children experiencing homelessness. The space is critical to handling the large influx of donations that has swelled since the wildfires.
Finally, the company is donating between 5,000 and 7,000 new pairs of shoes to aid in relief efforts. “In 2022, Caleres made a commitment to support Soles4Souls through our charitable foundation as well as a round up at the register campaign through Famous Footwear,” says Dan Friedman, Caleres’ chief sourcing and supply chain officer and Soles4Souls board member. “Since then, we have contributed more than $2 million and more than 60,000 shoes. We are honored to partner with them to support their relief efforts around the recent California wildfires. This partnership exemplifies the power of collaboration and community in times of crisis.”
