Shopping Blog # 3 TOMS Shoes

TOMS Shoes: One for One by Dayle Brodkin

For my third and final blog post, I decided to go a different direction. I wanted to find a product that could truly benefit others in need. Recently my friends have been buying these really comfortable shoes named TOMS. I went on their website, and found that not only are they selling shoes, but they are also helping children in need. Amazingly TOMS Shoes was founded on single premise: with every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One. In 2006 an American traveler, Blake Mycoskie, befriended children in Argentina, and found they had no shoes to protect their feet. Wanted to help he then created TOMS Shoes, a company that would reach out to young children everywhere and help them. Since their beginning TOMS has sold 150, 000 pairs of shoes to children in need through the One for One model. TOMS plans to give over 300,000 pairs of shoes around the world in 2009. Now you may be wondering why shoes? why not food or something else? Wearing shoes prevents feet from getting cuts and sores on unsafe roads and contaminated soil. Not only are these injuries painful, they are also dangerous when wounds become infected. The leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted parasites which penetrate the skin through open sores. Wearing shoes can prevent this and the risk of amputation. There is one simple solution...SHOES. TOMS Shoes carry shoes for men, women, and children. The prices of these shoes range anywhere from $40 to over $75. I like this product because not only are you getting great shoes, but you are also helping children around the world. I think I might just have to make a purchase this weekend!