Toms Shoe Drop, Argentina
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Toms Shoe Drops go to Argentina, Ethiopia, South Africa and the USA.
I love Toms Shoes. I have about 4 pairs right now, and have worn through about 10 since I first met my dear friend Blake Mycoskie, who started the company 3 years ago. They are my “go to” shoe without fail. As I got to know Blake better, I became more and more interested in the cause: for every shoe sold, a shoe is then donated to a child in need. One for one.
In the summer of 2007, I did a large gifting of Toms to about 500 friends, family and colleagues. I was so excited I had to share them with everyone I knew. The card I attached said “Happy Summer! A child in need will receive a pair of shoes in your name.” At that point I knew I had to live up to my pledge and go on an official “shoe drop” with Friends of Toms — the actual trips where groups of people go into the field and personally put shoes on children’s feet, one at a time.
My first day putting shoes on kids in Buenos Aires. I don't speak Spanish but the kids were all smiles.
So, last January, I headed to Argentina for the first time and we donated over 1,500 pairs of shoes. One. At. A. Time. There’s no magic or quick fix here.
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Step 1: Loading boxes of shoes from the truck in the remote jungle.
The experience was really fun as the actual field work is mixed in with travel, exploring, and bonding with the group over bumpy bus rides into the jungle and long conversational meals. But when you actually get down on your hands and knees and put a tiny red shoe (smaller than your hand) on a little girl’s foot, it’s the kind of experience that makes you feel like crying. Good tears, like the kind you get when you spot a man proposing to his girlfriend in Central Park, or when you cheer the runners on in the marathon. There’s something inherently good-natured, right down to the bone and it pangs your heart. It’s a feeling of connectivity that runs very deep. Oprah would probably call it The Zone or something but I just call it “Awesome!”
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Step 2: Organize boxes by shoe size.
Step 3: A succesful shoe drop for a small nomadic tribe in Misiones, Argentina.
Toms founder, Blake Mycoskie, leads the next shoe drop at a community center. Kids clamor to get inside.
Measuring a boy's foot to get him the correct shoe size.
The Toms Shoe fits!
Another success!
Think about giving Toms Shoes to your loved ones this holiday season.
