For Good: Clearwater store donates shoes to those in need

Clearwater shoe retailer helps homeless women in need of shoes.

Peltz Shoes located in Clearwater, recently teamed up with the nonprofit Homeless Empowerment Program (HEP), and donated 200 pairs of shoes to be distributed to women’s shelters and homeless shelters around the country.

“We chose to partner with the Homeless Empowerment Program because they have a diverse group of homeless individuals they serve,” says Dionna Thigpen, of Petlz Shoes.

HEP, which is also located in Clearwater, has been around since 1986. Their mission is to provide homeless and low-income individuals and families, with housing, food, clothing and other support services necessary to obtain self-sufficiency and an improved quality of life.

Peltz donated Naot shoes known for their fashion and comfort. The shoes have a unique anatomical footbed, which aligns with the contours of the foot.

Thigpen says this is the first year of the partnership between Peltz and HEP, however, they plan to do the event again.

“We honor our company’s core value of caring for the community,” she says. “I think it’s important to give those less fortunate an opportunity to be offered a quality shoe such as Naot. We also have a core value of caring for our vendors and this is a good way of showing partnership with Naot.”

While the donation event has ended, there is still time to help. If you would like to get involved, and donate to HEP, visit their website for more information.