SM STORE CELEBRATES ITS 65TH FOUNDING ANNIVERSARY BY HELPING FILIPINO CHILDREN IN NEED THROUGH THE SHARE SHOES CAMPAIGN

September 13, 2023 Community Billboard JUST IN

MANILA, Philippines. The simple things in life are oftentimes taken for granted. To some
people, tangible objects like clothes, bags, or shoes are normal commodities that they can
easily buy and eventually dispose of at will. Meanwhile, millions of people around the world,
specifically children, walk barefoot as they lack financial resources to avail themselves of decent
footwear.

According to a 2017 article by William Blischke, an American Sociology professor at the
California State University Dominguez Hills, 14% of the earth’s inhabitants lack shoes or have
inadequate footwear. He adds that in some developing countries, shoeless children cannot
attend school because they may communicate and contract diseases from their foot sores. This
is why some international non-profit organizations claim that shoes, or the lack thereof, are one
of the most visible signs of poverty.

In the Philippines, there is no available academic study that justifies Filipino children’s actual
lack of shoes. However, this phenomenon can be substantiated by the 2023 report of the
Department of Education, which states that one of the most pressing issues in the basic
education system is the lack of access to resources. Since school shoes are an integral part of
a student’s uniform even in public schools, it will be difficult for less-privileged families to
purchase them. Thus, leaving children with no choice but to either use their old and ill-fitting
shoes, or worse, walk barefoot – just to complete their education.

This is the challenge that the SM Store intends to address through the Share Shoes campaign
– to provide school shoes to the poverty-stricken students of the Philippines. In line with the
celebration of SM’s 65th founding anniversary and through the help of its dedicated customers
and partner-organizations, SM Store aims to donate more than sixteen thousand (16,000+)
pairs of shoes to the last-mile schools and communities in the country. With a minimum of Three
Thousand Pesos (P3,000) single-receipt-spend at any SM Store, a customer is entitled to
donate a pair of shoes, which originally retails for P299, for only Sixty Five Pesos (P65.00) and
shall be considered as a Share Shoes Champion.

In a statement, Mr. Dhinno S Tiu, Executive Vice President of SM Store, exemplifies the value
and symbolism of shoes for both SM and its advocacy to support the community:
“Shoes have been the core of our business for over 65 years. Thus, giving out thousands of
shoes to the Filipino children who need them the most through the generosity of our customers,
is a symbolic gesture of our commitment to continue to live the legacy of sharing and giving
back to our partner communities.”

More than a material donation, SM Store hopes that these pairs of shoes would help the
children’s journey towards a better life. Through a simple act of giving, these underprivileged
children will be able to learn, play, and flourish in school. And by protecting their young feet, time will come when they can confidently step, walk, run, and even leap towards their individual
goals and dreams.

Shop at your favorite SM Store from September 1, 2023 to November 15, 2023 to support a
child in need. For only P65, you can help transform a life by being a Share Shoes Champion!
Help us put shoes on a child’s feet and together, let us witness how they walk through life with
smiles on their faces. (Per DTI Fair Trade Permit No. FTEB-172377, Series of 2023)