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The Power of Partnership—and the Dignity of Choice
One of my favorite parts of our School Store we host each summer is the shoes.
Boxes and boxes of them, organized by size. And kids getting to try on a pair, then another, until they find the ones that fit just right.And, importantly, the ones they actually like.
Those shoes don't come from The Store.
They come from Soles4Souls, our partner highlight this month.
I think this is one of the best examples of what partnership is supposed to look like.
We know groceries. We spend a lot of time thinking about how someone shops, how much choice they have, how they are welcomed, and how the whole experience can communicate dignity.
Soles4Souls knows shoes.
They have built the relationships, systems and expertise to move an incredible number of high-quality shoes to people who need them. So when it comes time for our School Store or Toy Store, we don't have to figure out how to become shoe experts.
We get to partner with people who already are.
And the result is that a kid gets more than a pair of shoes.
They get to find their size. Try them on. Decide what they like. Walk away wearing something that fits well, looks great and feels like theirs.
There is something about that experience that feels very familiar to me.
It's the same reason we care so much about choice at The Store.
Choice says: your preferences matter. You don't just deserve what is available. You deserve to be part of the decision.
We now work with more than 70 nonprofit partners, and I'm increasingly convinced that some of our best work happens when we don't try to recreate something another organization is already exceptionally good at.
We bring what we know. They bring what they know. And our neighbors get something better because of it.
And on a personal note, I'm especially grateful for my friend, Buddy Teaster.
Buddy has been generous with me from the beginning — with his time, his experience and the things he's learned leading Soles4Souls through tremendous growth. I have a lot of respect for what he and his team have built, and I'm really grateful we get to call them partners.
Thank you, Buddy and Soles4Souls, for helping our kids walk out of these events a little taller.
Through our partnership with Soles4Souls, kids at The Store’s School Store and Toy Store can find shoes that fit their feet and their style. It’s a simple but meaningful example of what happens when organizations bring their strengths together—and why choice matters in every form of support.
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