Helping Belizean kids get to school through The Shoe That Grows
Read how 210 kids and teachers in Belize now have a pair of shoes, protecting their access to education for years to come.
Khloe Kares distributes Expandals in LA
After The Shoe That Grows went viral, parents around the world reached out to ask if they could buy a pair for their own families. Four years later, we launched a commercial version of the shoe called Expandals.
Khloe (second from left) and volunteers get ready to distribute shoes in Los Angeles
Sold through our benefit corporation, GroFive, anyone can buy their own expanding shoes for $40, and a portion of proceeds go back to shoe distributions in the US and beyond. In 2022, we partnered up with Khloe Kares—a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that serves communities experiencing houselessness—to distribute pairs in California.
Following her 150-pair distribution, we connected with Khloe to hear about the experience and learn more about the organization.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT KHLOE KARES?
Khloe Kares’ mission is to support individuals who are experiencing homelessness by providing bare necessities and access to resources. We use our platform to help other youth find their passions and once a year we raise funds to install water pumps and bathroom facilities in schools in Ghana.
HOW DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER THE SHOE THAT GROWS?
I discovered The Shoe That Grows when I did my second trip to Ghana [in 2021.] I was searching for shoes that would last for kids. I reached out via social media and asked if we could partner together. We were able to bring about 20–30 pairs of shoes to Ghana.
Shoes are placed into bags on Kare Bag Day
YOU COMPLETED A DISTRIBUTION OF EXPANDALS IN 2022—CAN YOU SHARE ABOUT THAT EVENT?
We host an event called “Kare Bag Days”—it's an event that helps distribute “kare bags” to people experiencing homelessness. We also partner with other organizations to help with the event. We ended up serving food, kare bags, clothing [and Expandals] to over 300 people.
DO YOU THINK THAT EXPANDALS ARE A GOOD SOLUTION FOR INDIVIDUALS IN CALIFORNIA WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO BASIC RESOURCES? WHY OR WHY NOT?
I’ve seen firsthand how these shoes are beneficial. When we passed out shoes in Ghana, the kids kept the shoes for years. Having access to shoes that grow and can be worn for a long time is important to people who don’t have access to basic resources. They last long, they are durable and comfortable.
To support more shoe distributions like this one, purchase your own pair of Expandals or join The Sole, a community of monthly donors that provide children with The Shoe That Grows each month.
- Tags: Impact The Shoe That Grows
