Brad here from TOMS Shoes. I like it when people ask what I do, because it gives me the chance to talk about all the good we are doing. I tell them about our unique One for One business model – with every pair of TOMS we sell, we give a pair of new shoes to a child in need – and that we’ve now given 400,000 pairs of shoes since 2006. Our success is thanks to a lot of hard work, passionate people and strong partners who really “get” what we do and whose customers are interested as well. That’s where Whole Foods Market comes in.

When I started working at TOMS (when the company was only about 4 weeks old), the first thing that I said to our fearless leader, Blake, was “Whole Foods is a company that we must partner with as they will not only understand what we are doing, but they will want to be a part of it as well.”

Eighteen months later, after countless hours of hard work, we launched our first exclusive collection of Eco-Friendly/Vegan shoes with Whole Foods Market. Since then, we have continued to explore the world of environmentally friendly materials, along with launching a shoe for those who practice a vegan lifestyle.

In just under two years, through the Whole Foods partnership and the purchases of caring customers, we have given just over 37,240 pairs of new shoes to children in need.

It is amazing the needs that these shoes have met and continue to meet around the world. In areas of deep poverty, shoes can play a role that goes far beyond comfort, including access to education and prevention of disease (bare feet make children susceptible to a wide range of diseases and parasites). It has truly blown me away how the Whole Foods Market team members have rallied around these needs, becoming some of the most dedicated, excited and passionate advocates for the One for One mission that I have come across in my almost four years here at TOMS.

We are honored and excited to partner with such a great company, who is not only working to help bring us better quality food for what we put IN our bodies, but also for what we put ON our bodies.

So, live fully, love others unconditionally, and if you happen to run into your neighborhood Whole Foods Market for some locally sourced tomatoes, basil or rainbow chard, make sure to stop by the Whole Body department to become part of the One for One movement.

One of TOMS’ first employees, Brad is currently responsible for their Boutique sales and TOMS’ relationship with Whole Foods Market. He is passionate about social entrepreneurship, simple community based living, cooking, organic gardening, music playing (guitar, banjo, pedal steel, piano), and tattoos…more tattoos.