One for One.

For every pair of shoes bought, a pair goes to a child in need. This is the idea of the for-profit organization, TOMS Shoes.

Hailee Hawthorne, sales associate at Taylor’s shoes in Town Center Plaza said she loves the cause.

“I think anything to help out people who are in need of shoes is great,” Hawthorne said. “Anything for the kids to get is a big deal to them. Walking around barefoot hurts.”

TOMS come in a variety of styles for both men and women. Senior Will Metcalf said he is very happy with his pair of TOMS. However, he said he can see why they are more popular among women at BV.

“The first impression when I was looking at the guys’ shoes was that they looked kind of womenly,” Metcalf said. “I think the average guy will look at TOMS and think they look too weird or too girly.”

TOMS usually range in price from $40-65. They come in a variety of styles. They are all hand-made and the fabrics range from canvas to linen to corduroy.

“They are helping people,” junior Rebecca Jenkins said. “I like the idea that by buying a pair of shoes, someone else has a pair of shoes that normally wouldn’t. When you think about it, you are helping at the same time, so they are not that expensive.”

Hawthorne said she thinks the shoes are worth the price.

“They are a little spendier, but what I think is you are paying for two shoes, because you’re giving one away and keeping one,” she said.

Jenkins said she thinks it is a good thing more people are starting to know about TOMS.

“At first, people were like, ‘I don’t know how cute they are,” she said. “But now, when more people have them, they are cuter. And TOMS is coming out with a lot more styles than they used to have. There are so many options.”

According to TOMS.com, TOMS has given more than 1 million pairs of new shoes to children in need through giving partners around the world, as of September 2010.