Clarks and Hush Puppies Australia has partnered with the Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) Australia to support Afghan refugees.
The footwear brands have donated 2000 pairs of shoes to AMES to help those who have been displaced find their feet in Australia.
Earlier this year, tens of thousands of Afghan civilians fled their homeland in an attempt to escape the Taliban, following their takeover of Afghanistan.
According to the UNHCR, the conflict has already driven more than 600,000 vulnerable people out of their homes since the start of the year.
Clarks’ and Hush Puppies’ GM Charlene Perera said the businesses acted fast after receiving the request from AMES.
"Crises happen without any warning and so after a phone call with AMES asking if we had any spare shoes to donate, we formed a plan to get shoes on their way.
"Our newest Australians had mostly arrived here with only the clothes and shoes they were wearing so we needed to move fast and with the support of AMES, that’s what we did," she said.
To ensure the donation was made as quickly as possible, over a dozen Clarks and Hush Puppies employees banded together and volunteered their time to pick and pack product, sending just under $200,000 worth of Clarks and Hush Puppies shoes.
However, the support doesn't stop here, with each of the footwear brands' retail, warehouse and corporate teams committed to continuing to support AMES.
Both Clarks and Hush Puppies will communicate their initiatives with customers and digital communities, encouraging the public to get involved and support AMES, either through physical help or donating what they can by way of everyday items and/or funding.
"We are in the business of footwear, but our scale and values also allow us to be in the business of helping people," Perera added.
"We plan to continue doing this as much as we possibly can, when we are needed," she said.
AMES Australia provides a range of settlement services for refugees and migrants.
These services include on-arrival settlement support, English language and literacy training, vocational education and training, and employment services.