More than 1.3 million children in the United States are unsheltered — and for many of them, a pair of new athletic shoes is not a given but a barrier, to school attendance, to sports participation, to the simple feeling of belonging. Amy Fass, Executive Director of Shoes That Fit, joins Care More Be Better as the domestic companion to the earlier Because International conversation, bringing the lens of childhood shoe insecurity home. She and host Corinna Bellizzi explore what new shoes actually do for a child's self-esteem, the stories of children transformed by something as simple as a name-brand sneaker, the antiquated federal poverty line that leaves millions uncounted, and how to make a concrete difference when the scale feels overwhelming.

Chapter Markers

• 00:00 — Introduction: The Domestic Companion to The Shoe That Grows
• 04:00 — How Shoes That Fit Works: Schools, Partners, and the Model
• 10:00 — The Girl with the Box: 'I've Never Had New Shoes Before'
• 16:00 — Why Name Brands Matter: Self-Esteem and Belonging
• 22:00 — The Physical Cost of Ill-Fitting Shoes: Injuries, Attendance, and Barriers to Sport
• 28:00 — 1.3 Million Unsheltered Children and the Antiquated Poverty Line
• 34:00 — Corporate Partnerships: Nordstrom, Rack Room, GEICO, and On Running
• 40:00 — The 2025 Challenge: Tariffs, Shoe Donations, and the Donor Base That Stepped Up
• 46:00 — Building for Scale: Warehouse Model, Distribution, and the Waitlist
• 52:00 — Leadership Lessons: Resilience, Burnout, and Investing in People
• 58:00 — Advice for Aspiring Nonprofit Founders: Listen First
• 64:00 — Closing: Find One Concrete Thing and Do It

Resources

• Amy Fass on LinkedIn
• Shoes That Fit — shoesthatfit.org
• Shoes That Fit on LinkedIn
• @shoesthatfitcharity on Instagram
• @shoesthatfitcharity on TikTok
• Shoes That Fit on X
• Nordstrom — Shoes That Fit partnership
• Rack Room Shoes
• On Running
• Because International — Ep. 289 (previous episode)
• Godfrey Coker — previous episode
• Lydiah Kemunto Bosire, 8B Education — previous episode
• The Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck

Donate to Shoes That Fit: shoesthatfit.org

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