Georgia-based sandal company Okabashi has pledged to donate up to 10,000 pairs of soy-based sandals to health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a release from the United Soybean Board, the company will be donating one pair for every order placed through its website or through online shoe retailer Zappos. So far, Okabashi has already donated over 5,000 pairs.
“Now more than ever, we’re all in this together,” Okabashi President Kim Falkenayn said.
Okabashi’s shoes are composed of about 45% U.S. soy by weight and are recognized as a USDA Certified Biobased Product in the USDA’s BioPreferred program. Customers can also send a personalized note to the health care workers who receive the sandals.
“It’s neat to see the soybeans I grow not only being used in a unique way that supports demand for our product, but also support front-line workers during the crisis,” said Belinda Burrier, a soybean farmer and checkoff leader from Maryland, said in the release. “It’s one of the reasons I’m proud to grow soybeans.”
Other recent soy-based initiatives include the Drive to Feed Kids program that provides pork to food-insecure families, and an effort to provide bottles of soy-based hand sanitizer to the New York City Fire Department.
For more news, go to www.Agri-Pulse.com.
