By Amy Estrada/reporter
Going barefoot is usually something most people will do at home.
Once people leave home, it’s only natural to slip on their most comfortable shoes.
Few think twice about going without shoes. They are part of a daily routine.
Many people in different countries do not have the luxury of putting on shoes when they leave the house. They go everywhere barefoot and risk getting infections and diseases.
TOMS, a shoe company, has created a way for people to give to those less fortunate. When a person buys a pair of TOMS, the company donates a new pair of shoes to a child in need.
NE student Jordan Cramer bought his first pair of TOMS this past spring break. He heard about TOMS three years ago but didn’t buy a pair until this year, he said.
“I don’t know why I waited to buy them,” he said. “I think it’s because when I saw them I didn’t have the money, but now since I have a job, I was able to afford them.”
Cramer said his are “super cool” because they are corduroy and tan, but that’s not the only reason they are special.
“I know what it supports, and I think it’s a great cause,” he said. “That’s why I bought them.”
This past April, he saw an event posted on Facebook through TOMS called “A Day Without Shoes.”
According to the TOMS website, the event on April 5 included more than a thousand events in 25 different countries.
The purpose of the event, the website said, was for people to go the entire day without shoes to know what it’s like to be without that luxury.
“People kept telling me I shouldn’t go barefoot because I could step on something and my foot could get infected,” he said.
All he could think about when people were telling him the negative side effects were the children who couldn’t afford shoes and suffered from diseases and injuries from going barefoot, he said.
Cramer said he goes barefoot whenever he can because it strikes up a conversation with people and he can educate others on the TOMS One for One program.
Not everyone jumps in on the latest trends or even knows that TOMS donates a pair of shoes to a child in need.
NE student Jessica Chavez learned about TOMS more than a year ago when she saw a commercial advertising the shoes, but it didn’t convince her to jump up and buy them.
“Why would I buy something I don’t like?” she said. “I know it’s for a good cause, but I’m not going to buy it just because of that.”
She hired two new people at her job who both have pairs of TOMS, she said. She wasn’t aware they were TOMS until she asked.
“My co-workers have the silver-sequined and black-sequined ones. I like them ’cause they’re cute, so I might change my mind,” she said. “The bonus part is that I will be contributing to a child, and I get what I like.”
Chavez said she would like to see TOMS come out with more styles like flip-flops or sandals because she’s more likely to buy them.
TR student Amanda Gomez said when she goes shopping she’s not looking for the latest trend. She goes shopping based on what she likes, just like Chavez.
“I didn’t even know TOMS were connected with a charity,” she said.
After seeing several people wearing TOMS, she has looked into buying the red ones, she said. But it’s because she likes the way they look.
Gomez said she doesn’t pay attention to whether or not what she buys helps out a charity, but if it does she is glad that she can help someone in need.
“Even though I don’t have a pair of TOMS right now, I might participate in going a day without shoes to help a child in need this year,” Gomez said.
