Making an impact in the local community is easier said than done, but in the case of Kinder Soles, that is exactly what co-founder and N.C . State graduate Mark Saad set out to do.

Saad graduated from the College of Management with a degree in business and entrepreneurship. Once Saad left State, he began working in the corporate world until he learned about the worldwide “footwear shortage movement.”

Upon learning more about this movement, Saad decided to get involved and figure out a way he would help. Realizing that collecting gently worn shoes to give to people in need was easy, it seemed that the only difficult part was finding a way to fund sending them to people in need. This need for funding sparked the company he recently started, Kinder Soles.

In 2010, Saad launched Kinder Soles to help contribute funds to help the movement. Kinder Soles designs and distributes eco-friendly flip-flops. From the proceeds, 5 to 10 percent of each Kinder Soles purchase goes toward sending shoes to people in need.

The Kinder Soles flip-flops don’t only help a good cause; they also have many other benefits. Saad described them as a “healthy flip-flop.” With the help of co-founder Chris Smith, Kinder Soles was able to take into consideration arch support and overall alignment to make the ideal flip-flop. Kinder Soles also takes a green aspect with their flip-flops’ midsoles and outsoles being made from recycled plastic bottles and other recycled industrial materials.

The flip-flops of Kinder Soles provide heel cups and are made to mold to distinctive feature of one’s foot. Kinder Soles provides one classic style with three color options for its consumers. While at the moment there is only one style, Kinder Soles has been working closely with Garry Atkinson, a student and design researcher in the Masters of Science in Textiles program, to expand their styles into closed toe version of their shoes.

This year, Saad started his own non-profit foundation, SoleMates , with a sole focus of gathering funds and shoes for those in need. While Saad started Kinder Soles with the idea of helping the world, he said he realized there are many people just in our neighborhood who are in need. Therefore, SoleMates is focused on efforts to get shoes to those in need in the United States and, more importantly, in the Triangle area. Concentrating locally enables the company to stay green and keep their carbon footprint low.

The SoleMates Foundation has thousands of gently used shoes just sitting in a warehouse ready to be sent to someone in need. Kinder Soles concentrates on raising the funds needed to send those shoes to the feet of the people who need them most.

With every Kinder Soles purchase, the company donates enough money to send shoes to people who need them. So when purchasing shoes from Kinder Soles, people are not only buying a “socially conscious” pair of flip-flops, but they are also paying to ship shoes to the people who need them.

SoleMates has already given 1,500 pairs of shoes to people in need in the Triangle, and the foundation is seen as a great organization for the community. With promises including contributing five pairs of shoes to a family in need with the purchase of a pair of Prima Line flip-flops, this company shows the simple steps it takes to make an impact in a big way.