who live in the communities Nordstrom

New Balance and Shoes That Fit have come together to bring more than 8,100 children in communities around the U.S. a special holiday gift again this year – new shoes.

The annual Nordstrom Holiday Giving Tree program begins on November 23 and runs through December 24. As in years past, all Nordstrom stores will display a holiday tree with tags that represent deserving local children identified by national non-profit organization Shoes That Fit. Shoes That Fit works with more than 200 schools nationwide to determine those children who are most in need of new shoes and then measures the children's feet so their shoes will fit comfortably. When customers purchase the tag for $20, the child will then receive New Balance athletic shoes.

"Over the past few years the Giving Tree program has become a holiday tradition that we've come to look forward to and we're so glad that we are working with New Balance and Shoes That Fit to offer it again this year," said Erik Nordstrom, president of stores at Nordstrom. "A new pair of shoes means a great deal to these kids. Rather than worrying about shoes that don't fit or are worn out, they'll now be able to go to school in a new, comfortable pair of shoes and focus on more important things like learning, playing and just being kids. We're happy that our customers can be a part of helping make that happen."

With this year's planned donation of more than 8,100 pairs of shoes, the Nordstrom Holiday Giving Tree will have provided more than 31,100 pairs of shoes to children since the program began in 2010. Those shoes, along with Nordstrom cash contributions to Shoes That Fit over the past three years, total more than $1.6 million given to children through the organization.

Nordstrom has a long tradition of displaying giving trees in stores during the holiday season. In years past, customers and employees could pull tags off the trees to fulfill wishes for local charities. In 2010, the company focused on providing footwear to children who live in the communities Nordstrom serves through the partnership with Shoes That Fit and New Balance. Nordstrom had worked with New Balance for years to offer customers a great selection of athletic footwear, and Shoes That Fit was an easy choice for the program given they had been delivering shoes to deserving kids since 1992.

"New Balance is proud to join Nordstrom and Shoes That Fit to ensure thousands of children get a holiday gift of athletic shoes this season through the Giving Tree program to help them lead more active and healthy lifestyles," said Jeff Ressa, strategic account manager, New Balance.

"In early 2012, Shoes That Fit gave out our millionth pair of shoes and that milestone would not have been possible without the Nordstrom Holiday Giving Tree," said Roni Lomeli, executive director of Shoes That Fit. "Partnering with Nordstrom and New Balance has allowed us to grow as an organization, expand our programs and reach out to more children in need across the United States. We are thankful that Nordstrom and New Balance believe, as we do, that every child deserves shoes that fit."

New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA, has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host.  New Balance is currently the only athletic shoe company that manufactures footwear in the U.S. with 25% of our U.S. footwear shipments produced at five New England facilities. The company also operates a manufacturing facility in Flimby, U.K.  New Balance employs more than 4000 associates around the globe, and in 2011 reported worldwide sales of $2.04 billion.