2009 Giving Program Goes International; Retailer Calls on Non-Profit Organizations to Apply to Participate in the Grass Roots Giving Effort to Establish Network of Hundreds of Charities to Directly Distribute Free Shoe Coupons
Oct. 15, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
TOPEKA, Kan., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading family footwear retailer, Payless ShoeSource, announced today the launch again this year of its Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program aimed at delivering more than $1.2 million worth of free children's shoes to children of families in need this holiday season through a massive grass roots approach involving a network of hundreds of charity partners. In addition, the retailer said it is expanding this year's program internationally across the Western Hemisphere in countries where the majority of its more than 4,500 stores are located.
Payless will give more than 77,000 gift coupons redeemable through Feb. 28, 2010, toward a new pair of kids' shoes at any of its stores located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and in 10 Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia.
"In America the economy appears to be on the mend, but times are still difficult on Main Street and the economic challenges are rippling across the globe," said Matthew E. Rubel, Chairman and CEO of Collective Brands, Inc., which owns Payless ShoeSource. "Footwear is a basic need that many of us take for granted, and yet a significant number of children need shoes. In a difficult economy, the underprivileged are hurt more than any other group and the charities that assist them are often underfunded. That's why we are expanding our Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program to Canada, Puerto Rico, and our Latin American countries and calling on charity partners again this year to help us establish an extending network to get the gift of shoes to children that need it the most this holiday season."
A Call to Non-Profits
Through this year's effort, Payless said it expects to give away more than 77,000 pairs of new shoes valued at more than $1.2 million through a network of hundreds of localized charities. Partnering with local charities offers a grass roots approach -- an important element of the program.
