A monthly roundup of footwear brands and retailers that are participating in charitable causes. Share your news with us at [email protected].

Oct. 31, 2022: Macy’s will launch a multi-year partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) to serve young people through the power of mentorship, creating a path for future success and impact that lasts a lifetime. This holiday season, Macy’s customers will have the opportunity to help fuel these life-changing mentoring experiences by donating online at macys.com, or rounding up purchases in-store (up to $.99) from Tuesday, Nov. 1 through Saturday, Dec. 24. Funds raised through Macy’s partnership will support the innovation of BBBSA’s mentoring model, to help reach and connect more young people with mentors and meaningful mentoring experiences. This December select Macy’s stores will host customized events for Littles and Bigs in their communities. Locations will offer holiday events to help local Big Brothers Big Sisters communities kick off the holiday season. To launch the new partnership with BBBSA, Macy’s will debut a formal celebration of mentors within the organization by offering financial bonuses, internal recognition, and exposure to senior leadership through Macy’s Best Mentor & Mentee.

Oct. 27, 2022: Academy Sports + Outdoors is celebrating National First Responders Day on Oct. 28 by contributing more than $50,000 to 20 first responder organizations and local chapters of National Police Athletic/Activities Leagues, Inc. This is the fourth straight year Academy has celebrated National First Responder Day by giving back to its communities. Additionally, now through Nov. 13, Academy is offering first responders, active-duty military, and veterans a 10% discount on their entire purchase both in-store and online. What’s more, kids in select local chapters of National Police Athletic/Activities Leagues will participate in shopping sprees at Academy stores where they will be able to shop for sports equipment, safety gear, apparel, footwear and more. The retailer is also donating to a variety of local first responder groups including the 300 Club of Atlanta, Dothan Fire Department and the Panama City Police Department, among others. The donations and shopping sprees will help the organizations purchase sports and outdoor equipment to supply initiatives and events within their programs.

Oct. 25, 2022: Dominic Ciambrone, aka “The Shoe Surgeon,” has teamed up with the National Football League (NFL) on two key initiatives. The first initiative will be a monthly series of SRGN Academy clinics in partnership with Big Brother Big Sisters of America. Each SRGN Academy Workshop will teach fifteen Littles and their Bigs from local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies about creativity and customization, as they transform a blank cleat canvas into works of art with NFL Clubs and players. These workshops will take place in Las Vegas, Miami, Los Angeles and New York. For the second part of the partnership, Ciambrone will creative direct a special My Cause My Cleats activation, where he will hand select eight local sneaker customizers and pair them with NFL players in their market. Designers will create one-of-one cleats for each player, creatively displaying the non-profit organization of their choosing. With social content reveals that debut the works of art, the custom cleats will be auctioned off with 100% of proceeds from NFL Auction going to the players’ designated charities via NFL Foundation.

Oct. 25. 2022: Following the devastation from Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico, Dallas-Fort Worth-based retailer JCPenney announced it is donating up to 55,000 units of merchandise to Puerto Ricans in need through United Way de Puerto Rico. This week, six JCPenney stores in Puerto Rico will distribute up to these units of clothing, children’s items and home goods, straight from the sales floor. Freight trucks will load donations from three JCPenney stores in Puerto Rico tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 26 with three additional store pick-ups having already occurred on Monday, Oct. 24.

Oct. 17, 2022: Rack Room Shoes announced that it raised more than $1 million during its 2022 fundraising campaign for Shoes That Fit, a nonprofit that provides new athletic sneakers to school children. During the back-to-school event, Rack Room invited customers to give to the cause through in-store and online contributions, resulting in donations of $1,006,978. That was combined with a $300,000 corporate gift and additional 2021 holiday fundraising, pushing the total over $1 million. The retailer noted that an important aspect of the annual campaign is ensuring 100% of the money raised stays in the local community. Each store is matched with school liaisons to coordinate purchasing shoes for students most in need.

Oct. 13, 2022: Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation raised $1.8 million for mental health initiatives as part of its aim to make mental health a priority across communities by increasing awareness and education, improving access to care and promoting tools and skills that build positive mental health. At a special cocktail at L’Avenue at Saks on Tuesday evening, pop culture icon Dionne Warwick wowed the crowd with three of her top hits. Since the foundation’s inception in 2017, Saks Fifth Avenue and the Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation have donated more than $5.8 million for U.S. mental health initiatives, and reached over 6.6 million individuals through programs that promote positive mental health. This year, the foundation launched a $250,000 fund that will support grassroots, community-based organizations whose local efforts are critical in offering support to the health and wellbeing of those they serve.

Oct. 11, 2022: Famous Footwear continues to help foster youth. Since 2020, the company has raised $8.2 million for the Ticket to Dream Foundation, including $1.1 million this back-to-school season. This year, more than 20,000 foster started the school year with the supplies, which was made possible by customer donations made in-store, in the Famous Footwear app and online at famousfootwear.com, the retailer said. Items included nearly 16,000 backpacks, over 300 new laptops and over 2,400 tech accessories, 600 pairs of Converse shoes, along with tutoring assistance for over 200 foster youth and fall extracurricular access for 500 foster youth. In addition, Famous Footwear hosted over 250 children and teens in-store across the country for shopping sprees. Each foster youth received a brand-new pair of shoes, socks, adidas backpack and school supplies.

Oct. 5, 2022: Shoe Carnival announced a pledge on Wednesday of $100,000 in support of the American Red Cross hurricane relief effort. Through a combination of customer donations and corporate giving, the support will directly benefit the work the American Red Cross is doing to help those affected by the devastation of Hurricane Ian. “The destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Ian is heartbreaking,” said Mark Worden, Shoe Carnival’s president and CEO, in a statement. “We are thankful that our team members are safe, and we stand in support of our Florida communities as we aid the Red Cross to help families in need.” Josett Valdez, CEO of American Red Cross South Florida Region, added: “In the face of disasters, it’s the generosity of partners like Shoe Carnival that ensures the Red Cross can mobilize comfort and care to people in their darkest hour. Thank you to Shoe Carnival for providing support to our communities devastated by Hurricane Ian. It will allow our critical services to help alleviate human suffering following this historic disaster.”

Sept. 29, 2022: Aaron Judge is on pace to set a new American League record for home runs in one MLB season. But that isn’t the only exciting news for the New York Yankee. On Nov. 18, his All Rise Foundation is set to host its “All-Star Evening” gala, to support its mission to inspire youth and children to achieve academic excellence and live a healthy lifestyle. Among the sponsors of the charity gala are New York-based manufacturer United Legwear & Apparel Co. and the menswear brand Tall Order. In addition, Tall Order collaborated with the All Rise Foundation on a special-edition two-pack of extra-cushioned ankle socks in Judge’s signature white and navy. The packs are available for $30 at TallOrder.com, with $10 from every pack sold benefiting the All Rise Foundation.

Aug. 22, 2022: Old Navy has expanded its Project We series – a collection of graphic tees designed by diverse artists – in partnership with the Fifteen Percent Pledge. The Project WE x Fifteen Percent Pledge collection marks the first product collaboration for the Pledge, supporting diverse artists as they break into the retail industry on a national level. In celebration of the initiative, Old Navy is donating $500,000 to the non-profit to support the rise of Black creative entrepreneurs. Through the Project We x Fifteen Percent Pledge collection, Old Navy said it will provide a platform for artists to grow their businesses and expand their audience, a focus for the Pledge’s Business Equity Community. “I know firsthand how artists and designers from marginalized groups have been historically excluded from opportunities to scale their businesses,” said Aurora James, founder of the Fifteen Percent Pledge. “This project gives artists a chance to increase their visibility as business owners and social impact leaders. The partnership will also support the Pledge’s efforts to expand access and opportunity for Black creatives, and take us another step closer to building a more equitable retail industry.”