In response to the growing Covid-19 crisis, Sperry will support the footwear industry’s charitable foundation
WALTHAM MA, March 25: Sperry, the heritage footwear brand, will donate over 3000 pairs of shoes to Two Ten Footwear Foundation in response to the Covid 19 crisis. Two Ten provides emergency financial assistance, and access to counseling services and community resources to footwear employees facing difficult times. Applications for financial help at Two Ten have spiked more than 200% in the past 2 weeks and, based on the current rate, the Foundation is anticipating 8-10x the average number of applications will be filed between April-June from industry employees who have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
“The Sperry team want to support members of our immediate community in any way we can. The footwear community is in crisis right now, and we want to help. Sperry is proud to support Two Ten Foundation – which provides essential support to people in need who work in the footwear industry,” says Joelle Grunberg, President, Sperry.
Shoes that are donated to Two Ten are converted to cash and the proceeds are given to footwear employees who are facing hard times. “During the next three months, we are anticipating providing $2.6 million in financial relief, which is more than we grant in a normal 12-month period,’ according to Shawn Osborne, President and CEO of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation. “We are grateful to Sperry for partnering with Two Ten to ensure we honor our commitment and our obligation to take care of our footwear industry employees.”
In addition to donating shoes, Sperry will use its social media channels to raise awareness for Two Ten and provide a link where people can make financial donations.
Both brands are aligned on offering their communities tips for self-care during this unprecedented and difficult period. In response to Covid, Sperry launched #SperrySelfCare – a new social media platform created to lift the spirits of fellow employees and consumers by providing daily self-care / stress relief inspiration. Two Ten also offers self-care tips to its members via social media. “In this time of heightened stress, it is more important than ever to practice self-care and look out for each other and those closest to you,” according to Osborne.
To learn more about this initiative and Sperry’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and pandemic, visit Sperry.com and follow the brand on social media @Sperry. For more information about Two Ten Footwear Foundation or to make a donation please visit TwoTen.org.
About Sperry:
Celebrating 85 years of footwear innovation in 2020, Sperry was founded in 1935 by avid sailor, inventor and intrepid explorer Paul Sperry. From the invention of the world’s first boat shoe, the iconic Top-Sider, Sperry continues its tradition of offering innovative, fashion-forward styles that are perfect at sea or on the street. The company Paul Sperry founded in his own name is now fully rooted in the history of American style. Sperry is distributed in department stores and independent retailers in North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America, as well as Sperry specialty retail stores and www.Sperry.com . Sperry is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. one of the world’s leading marketers of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children’s and uniform footwear and apparel. Sperry.com @sperry #sperrymyway
About the Two Ten Footwear Foundation:
Founded in 1939 at 210 Lincoln Street in Boston, Massachusetts, the Two Ten Footwear Foundation is the national charitable foundation of the U.S. footwear industry. Two Ten provides emergency financial assistance, natural disaster recovery, educational scholarships, counseling services and professional development programs that improve the lives and careers of the country’s 330,000 footwear employees and their families. The only industry-centric foundation in the country, Two Ten brings the footwear community together to support each other during times of crisis and ensure a bright future for the industry’s workforce. For more information, please visit twoten.org.
