Shoe giveaway program reaches out to low-income wo

Shoe giveaway program reaches out to low-income women
At least 180 low-income women realized the opportunity to get a pricey, well-made pair of shoes on Saturday, free of change.
For the fourth year, Phillip and Pam Malozi, who own The Shoe Boutique on Trent Road, partnered with Naot shoe distributor Yaleet Inc. to give each qualified woman a pair of shoes that she otherwise would not be able to afford.
The Malozis have worked each year with the Salvation Army to identify recipients and provide them with the vouchers. Each woman took the vouchers to the store on Saturday and selected a pair of shoes. This year the couple stepped up its personal donation as the distributor unexpectedly cut back its contribution to 80 pairs.
“The Malozis are such a unique situation. There’s no other business in the city that I know of that opens up … and impacts people on such an individual basis. There’s more one-on-one contact,” said Nancy Fisher, of the Salvation Army, who located and qualified the women to receive the vouchers. “Their personal investment and their dedication is incredible, so unique.”
The shoes retail for between $135 and $180 per pair, and the Malozis offered 120 pairs,osiris shoes bronx, she said. In previous years, the Malozis’ personal donation was in the $5,000 range, but this year the contribution was about three times that amount.
“This is not a huge business,” Fisher said. “That’s the thing that blows me away: this is a small, family-owned business.”
Phillip Malozi has already told Fisher that the couple wants to repeat the event next year, she said.
“I enjoy seeing the people that really care. The majority of them are just thankful,” Phillip Malozi said. “Some of them came up to me in the store and said thank you.”