Payless ShoeSource Announces Non-Profit Partners in Southeast Region to Join Payless Gives(TM) Shoes 4 Kids Holiday Giving Program for Children

Payless ShoeSource Announces Non-Profit Partners in Southeast Region to Join Payless Gives(TM) Shoes 4 Kids Holiday Giving Program to Give $1.2 Million in Free Shoes to Children of Families in Need

/PRNewswire/ -- Leading family footwear retailer, Payless ShoeSource, announced today that more than 750 nonprofit partners located across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and in 10 Latin American countries have officially joined Payless in its Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program, a grass-roots effort aimed at giving more than $1.2 million in free shoes to children of families in need this holiday season.

Payless will give more than 77,000 total gift coupons redeemable through Feb. 28, 2010, toward a new pair of kids' shoes at any of its more than 4,500 stores located in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and in Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Nicaragua and Colombia.

A total of nearly 150 nonprofit partners chosen from the United States' Southeast region include, among others:

-- Kids to Love Foundation (Huntsville, AL)
-- Our House (Little Rock, AR)
-- Horton's Kids (Washington, DC)
-- Clothes to Kids (Clearwater, FL)
-- YWCA of Tampa Bay (St. Petersburg, FL)
-- Albert T. Mills Enrichment Center (Atlanta, GA)
-- Family Scholar House (Louisville, KY)
-- Great Expectations Foundation (New Orleans, LA)
-- We Care Community Services (Vicksburg, MS)
-- Florence Crittenton Services (Charlotte, NC)
-- Epworth Children's Home (Columbia, SC)
-- Agape Child and Family Services (Memphis, TN)
-- CHIP of Roanoke Valley (Roanoke, VA)



To see all of the selected 2009 Payless Gives non-profit organizations in your region, state or city, please visit www.paylessgives.com.

Payless said that all the charity partners should receive their free shoe gift coupons by today along with a personal letter from Matt Rubel, chairman and chief executive officer of Collective Brands, Inc., the parent company of Payless, and LuAnn Via, chief executive officer and president of Payless, with a special request to get the coupons into the hands of the children that need them in time for the holidays. The quantity of gift coupons per agency is based on agency size and the number of constituents served and includes an average of about 100 coupons per charity partner. Many non-profit partners will also provide transportation for group shopping trips to the local Payless stores and already shopping trips have been coordinated for children in Los Angeles, San Juan and Cincinnati by charity partners.

"Kids have already started shopping for their free shoes," said Rubel. "Last year's program was truly amazing and we saw our charity partners coordinate directly with our local store teams to hold special shopping events outside of normal store hours -- many partners and store teams went above and beyond with special touches that included hot coco and other treats for the kids in addition to the free shoes," said Rubel.

"Already this year we've heard similar stories including NFL Hall-of-Famer, Anthony Munoz, and his foundation giving limo service and lunch for a group of second grade children in Cincinnati. Free shoes is an amazing gift to these kids, but to be able to shop with a super star athlete like Anthony makes it all even more special. We are thrilled with the hundreds of charity partners who are joining us this year in our massive holiday giving effort, and we look forward to seeing the smiling faces and hearing the heartfelt, inspiring stories that will result from this year's program."

The company launched the application phase for the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program on Oct. 15 with a call-to-action to the non-profit community to apply to be Payless partners in the shoe-gifting campaign to build a network of hundreds of localized organizations across the Western Hemisphere. This grass root approach is critical for immediate, direct access to kids in need at the holidays. In a 21-day application period, the retailer received nearly 3,000 applicants at its application website www.paylessgives.com and inquiries from nearly 37,000 visitors representing 109 countries across the globe. The application period is now closed.

Payless said its Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids non-profit network includes a total of more than 750 agencies: more than 670 charities in the United States, more than 70 in Canada, five in Puerto Rico, and 20 throughout Latin America.

"We were overwhelmed by the response from the non-profit community to join us in this important effort - to give a free pair of shoes to children in need this holiday season," said Payless CEO Via. "Our intent is to work with and through a diverse network of localized non-profits that have direct and immediate access to the children. Our chosen partners - more than 750 in all -- represent every state in the U.S., as well as organizations across Canada and in Puerto Rico and 10 Latin American countries in which we have stores. Together we've created a diverse international network of non-profits located in small towns, mid-sized and large cities, as well as rural areas so that we can blanket these countries and most effectively reach those in need."

Payless initiated the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids program last year in response to the economic crisis, its impact on the underprivileged, the significant need across the United States for children's shoes, and to support smaller, localized nonprofits with a tool to assist them in helping those in need during the holidays. The retailer expanded the program internationally across the Western Hemisphere for 2009 because the need for children's shoes continues, the need is international and Payless is in a strong position to help.

A striking number of children don't have shoes that fit. Studies show that properly fitting shoes can enhance self confidence in children and aid in their proper development and growth. As well, with rising unemployment and food costs, it is difficult for parents to cover basic needs, thus making the holidays an even more stressful time for struggling families.

Greater Horizons of Kansas City, also a nonprofit, served as the independent third-party to manage the bulk of the selection process, based on Payless' core selection criteria, for the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids charity partners. For a complete list of the Payless Gives Shoes 4 Kids partners, please go to www.paylessgives.com.

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Paper, Plastics, and Shoes? Georgia Recycling Coalition Announces Placement of Shoe Recycling Bins at Drop-off Locations to Benefit Soles4Souls(R) Inc

/PRNewswire/ -- Now, along with their soda cans and old newspapers, Georgia residents can bring their gently worn shoes to recycling drop-off locations throughout the state. In partnership with Soles4Souls®, the GRC announces they will place specially designated bins at their locations to offer an environmentally friendly alternative to residents throwing their worn shoes away.

"We are delighted to be involved with an effort in Georgia to reduce potential waste while supporting a philanthropic cause. Repurposing shoes that we no longer wear is something that everyone can understand and easily accomplish through local community collection programs," said Gloria Hardegree, Executive Director, Georgia Recycling Coalition.

The recycled shoes will be shipped to Soles4Souls who will distribute them to some of the 1.5 billion people world-wide without shoes.

"We are proud to partner with the Georgia Recycling Coalition in this call to action," said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls, Inc. "This initiative will not only help put shoes on the feet of those in need, but it also furthers the global effort to reuse."

It is estimated, every year millions of shoes across the globe end up in landfills or are disposed of in some other way. Soles4Souls will take your gently worn shoes and repurpose them in one of 125 countries around the world. A small percentage which cannot be distributed will be recycled.

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Foot Solutions to Donate $35,000 Worth of Shoes to Flood Victims in Atlanta with Soles4Souls, the Shoe Charity

As areas in Atlanta continue to recover from recent flooding, Foot Solutions stores are pitching in to help their neighbors in need. Foot Solutions Corporate along with Foot Solutions in Buckhead, on behalf of Soles4Souls, have committed to helping hundreds of flood victims by donating shoes to those who have lost everything in a low-income area of Atlanta near the river.

Soles4Souls is an international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to people in desperate need. Seeing the need in our own community, Foot Solutions Buckhead will deliver more than 220 pairs of new shoes valued at more than $35,000 and nearly one-hundred pair of gently used shoes to a small Atlanta area community badly affected by the flooding.

The donation will take place Saturday, October 3 at the First Baptist Church Chattahoochie, 1950 Bolton Road, in Atlanta beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Aadu Allpere, the owner of Foot Solutions Buckhead, learned of the devastation in the area from friend and fellow Rotarian Dr. Jim Haskell who ministers to families hit hard by the floods. Both Allpere and Haskell are members of the Buckhead Rotary Club and they knew they wanted to help.

For more information about the Foot Solutions shoe drive for flood victims call: 404-231-2324To find the Foot Solutions location nearest you call 1-888-FIT-FOOT or log on to www.footsolutions.com.
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Shoe Carnival Announces Humanitarian Effort with Soles4Souls, the Shoe Charity

Popular Footwear Retailer Reaches Out to Communities Across the U.S. to Spread Hope and Engage Customers in Giving Program

For the third time in less than two years, the popular footwear retailer, Shoe Carnival, is partnering with shoe charity Soles4Souls, Inc. to give away shoes to those in need.

Beginning September 2 through September 29, customers of all 314 Shoe Carnival locations will have the opportunity to donate $1 at the register. Shoe Carnival hopes to raise at least $140,000 through the in-store program. All funds will be applied toward sending a new pair of shoes to victims of natural disasters or those living in extreme poverty, both here in the United States and around the world.

Additionally, Shoe Carnival and Soles4Souls will join forces to donate new shoes to local charities in St. Louis, Memphis, Birmingham and Mobile, where thousands of shoes will be given to needy people.

“Shoe Carnival is proud to continue our support of Soles4Souls,” said Todd Beurman, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Shoe Carnival. “The ongoing partnership with Soles4Souls fits the core of what our brand strives to do, and that is to provide shoes for people that need them.”

"Shoe Carnival has taken on our cause as their own, and we are extremely proud to partner with them to reach thousands of people who are suffering," said Wayne Elsey, Founder and CEO of Soles4Souls. "Their generosity directly benefits people who need our assistance, and we invite everyone to stop by a Shoe Carnival location to become personally involved," he said.

For more details on the Shoe Carnival / Soles4Souls partnership, visit www.giveshoes.org.

About Shoe Carnival
Shoe Carnival is a chain of 314 footwear stores located in the Midwest, South and Southeast. Combining value pricing with an entertaining store format, Shoe Carnival is a leading retailer of name brand and private label footwear for the entire family. Headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, Shoe Carnival trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC under the symbol SCVL. Visit www.shoecarnival.com for more information.

About Soles4Souls
Nashville-based Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of both new and used shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Soles4Souls has distributed more than 5 million pairs (currently donating one pair every 13 seconds) to people in over 125 countries, including Guatemala, Kenya, Nepal, and the United States. The charity has been featured in Runner's World and the Green Guide by National Geographic. It has also appeared on TODAY, CNN, ABC, FOX, CBS, NBC Nightly News and hundreds of regional outlets around North America. Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS; donating parties are eligible for tax advantages. Visit www.giveshoes.org for more information.
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