ETNIES HELPS LOS ANGELES’ HOMELESS ON SKID ROW DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Apr 10, 2020

Written by Bart de Jong

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etnies, the global action sports footwear and apparel company, has been donating shoes to the homeless of Los Angeles for 23 years and will keep on helping those in the streets despite the COVID-19 pandemic. For etnies, it is a tradition to celebrate Good Friday on Skid Row giving shoes to the homeless during the Los Angeles Mission Easter Event, which is cancelled this year. However, that is not stopping the company from continuing with their giving tradition to the city’s most vulnerable.

For the past two decades, etnies has collectively donated tens of thousands of shoes. This year, the brand is extending the opportunity to its loyal fans to help the brand reach an all-time total goal of 50,000 shoes to those in need through the giveback program. For every pair of shoes sold on the etnies site from Thursday, April 9 through Sunday, April 12, 2020, the brand will donate an additional pair of shoes to the homeless.

“Doing something meaningful and purposeful for the homeless community has always been very

important to me,” said Pierre Andre Senizergues, CEO of etnies. “It means even more right now, knowing the heightened state of vulnerability so many people are living in as the Covid-19 crisis continues. Providing shoes to them is not only a necessity but a symbol of the kindness and concern we feel for the homeless population each day.”

For etnies CEO Pierre-Andre giving to the homeless is very personal. As a skateboarder he has always spent a lot of time in the streets and for a time he was homeless himself.

The homeless population needs durable shoes, as they spend nearly all of their time in shoes for protection. According to the LA Mission, there are currently 53,195 people in Los Angeles county experiencing homelessness today.

etnies has been giving shoes to the homeless though the Los Angeles Mission since 1998. The Los Angeles Mission is a nonprofit, privately supported organization that serves the immediate and long-term needs of the homeless. To find out more information on the Los Angeles Mission, please visit: losangelesmission.org.