The Two Ten Footwear Foundation — the charity organization dedicated to assisting shoe people in times of need — is in relief mode. Last month, Hurricane Beryl hit Texas hard, knocking out power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses. With strong winds, heavy rainfall and flooding, recovery efforts are still underway in Houston.
Two Ten reported 500 applications for disaster relief after Hurricane Beryl made landfall. Beryl impacted footwear employees at dozens of different companies, including Foot Locker, Finish Line, DSW, Aldo, Famous Footwear, City Gear, Steve Madden, Shoe Carnival, Skechers, and many others.
So far, Two Ten has helped 300 footwear employees in Texas with unexpected expenses related to temporarily relocating after evacuating flooded areas, making emergency home repairs, and replacing food and medicine that went bad during the prolonged power outages or were lost during flooding.
To date, the organization has awarded roughly $260,000 in disaster relief grants.
The amount of each grant ranges in value depending on household size, but is typically between $500 and $1000, said Two Ten. Funds are made available immediately via electronic checks so they can be used for urgent needs.
The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has been extremely active and could rank among the busiest on record, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This week, Hurricane Debby caused much damage with heavy rain, flooding and evacuations in New York and Pennsylvania. Two Ten is responding to that now. Forecasters, meanwhile, are watching a potential tropical storm in the Atlantic, which would be named Ernesto.
In addition to its disaster relief efforts, Two Ten is dedicated to supporting footwear families faced with financial hardship or those seeking support with educational goals.
