Toms donates 5 million dollars to end gun violence in the US

American footwear company Toms got famous for its “one for one” campaign: for every pair of shoes sold, another one is donated to a child in need. Now, it is set to expand its charitable initiatives. In an interview on yesterday’s The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, founder Blake Mycoskie said: “tonight we’re announcing we’re going to evolve our giving model. Toms will not only continue to give shoes, but we will give considerable resources to the causes and most important issues of our time”. Wearing a T-shirt that said ‘end gun violence together’, Mycoskie added that the company is going to start by donating 5 million US dollars to organizations fighting gun violence in the United States. That is the single largest contribution a corporation has ever given to the cause.

In addition, the footwear company best known for its espadrilles is allowing american consumers to send a physical postcard to their representatives urging them to pass a law establishing universal background checks. They can do that via Toms’ website, free of charge. “This is something that 90 percent of Americans are in favor of, and you can do it in 30 seconds or less on Toms.com”, said the businessman.

Pictures: Toms Facebook, screenshot Toms website