The SM Store’s Share Shoes Campaign helps children take steps in achieving their dreams

A child from Mangyan Elementary School in Bulalacao Town, Oriental Mindoro walking home with her new pair of shoes from the SM Store’s Share Shoes Campaign (Photo courtesy of Caritas Philippines)

Shoes are essential in one’s journey through life. For less fortunate families and their children, a new pair of shoes will allow them to perform their daily chores in comfort and walk to and back to school in safety. Good shoes can also inspire them to work hard – because with a new pair of shoes, they are not only able to fulfill their daily tasks but are also taking little steps to achieve their dreams.

Since 2015, The SM Store Share Movement has collected over 900,000 donations composed of shoes, clothing, footwear, book and school kits, disaster kits and toys, which were given to children and families all over the country. This year’s Share Shoes Campaign was able to collect over 40,000 pairs of shoes from their generous benefactors, along with close to 2-million pesos worth of shoes donated by The SM Store, allowing them to reach more kids and inspire these children to take those important steps toward achieving their goals.

The Share Shoes campaign invited shoppers to donate their pre-loved or brand-new shoes to children in need. In partnership with Caritas Philippines and other NGOs, the shoes collected were distributed to Oriental Mindoro and other far-flung communities nationwide.

Young girls choosing which pair of shoes they’ll get.

The SM Store saw how important shoes were to lives of the children. In one of their previous donation turnovers: Rich, 11 years old, took a pair of sandals for his elder sister instead. When asked why, “I still have a pair of shoes,” Rich said, “my sister needs it more.”

These are the kind of stories that inspire The SM Store Share Movement to double their efforts in reaching out to those who are in need of assistance. SM founder Henry Sy envisioned that every Filipino should have their own pair of shoes. It is a passion that blossomed to what is SM today, a company that takes every step to make this vision a reality.

According to The SM Store, this project reminded them of their humble beginnings, milestones, legacy, and promise to help communities be better. After all, The SM Store started out with shoes and they hope to be a part of people’s journeys through life through the gift of shoes.

Students of Balditan Elementary School in Bulalacao, Oriental Mindoro celebrating their new pair of shoes.

Over the years, The SM Store has conducted its quarterly donation drive from shoes, to books, toys and hygiene kits for identified poor communities and areas impacted by calamities, through its #SMShareMovement Project.

Find out more about these quarterly donation drives and know how to contribute to upcoming projects, by liking The SM Store Facebook page and by following @TheSMStore on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.