Dear Chacos

The following is the email I sent to Chacos to plea for their help. If you know any high ups in the Chacos, organization, please let me know, and pass along this email.

Dear Chacos employees -

My name is Abby Adams, and I am a Peace Corps volunteer serving in the
tiny West African country of the Gambia. The Gambia is surrounded by
Senegal, and is the fifteenth least developed country in the world. I
live in a round hut, with a thatched roof, and have no running water
or electricity.

I am writing to tell you of a tragic loss that occurred while trekking
throughout the country, on my way to the village where I will stay for
my two years of service.

I purchased my first beloved pair of Chacos in September of 2008 at a
kayaking festival in North Carolina. I had heard how great they were
through the hiking and kayaking community, and found people's
recommendations to be exactly correct. For the two years after
purchasing them, I wore them almost everywhere. They were
comfortable, rugged, and in the grass roots service organization in
Tennessee at which I worked, they were even considered work
appropriate.

As soon as I was accepted into the Peace Corps, I began making a
packing list, and my Chacos were one of the first things on the list.
In the first few months in the Gambia, they were valuable shoes to
have. They dealt with the mud of the rainy season well, but gave me
traction and stability in the dry sand roads that I had to trudge
through when we went a few hot days without rain.

On the way out to my village, about six hours from the capital,
somehow one of my Chacos fell out of the car. Despite never having
left the vehicle, my Chaco disappeared without a trace. I have only
the one shoe left, constantly reminding me of what once was.

I am writing to plea for your help. As a volunteer, who just arrived
in The Gambia within the past three months, I have very little money,
and hope to save some to see more of Africa and the world, while I
have this rare opportunity.

I would very much appreciate if you would send me a new pair of
Chacos. I am including below my address in the Gambia, as well as my
address in America. If shoes are sent to the America address, a
visitor will be able to get them to me at some point. My shoe size is
a women's ten. I love bright colors, and hate pink.

Also attached is a picture of the last excursion I took with my
Chacos, through the bush of the Gambia. There was quicksand, water up
to my waist, and alternated between hot sun and rainstorms. The
second picture is of the feet of a few of my Peace Corps friends and
I, and our noticeable Chacos tans.

Thank you again for considering my request. I appreciate you and love
your product, and hope to continue to represent the adventurous and
outdoorsy spirit that Chacos embodies.

Sincerely,

Abby Adams

This is the response I received from Chacos.

Hello Abby,
Thanks for the note and the photos! Yikes! That is true mud. I can check in our stock of single sandals and see if we have a mate for you. What size, color and model are these? Let me know and I will see what I can do for you.
Best regards,

WHAT? A ROOM OF ORPHAN SHOES!! I am now almost more interested in obtaining a picture, and getting a clear idea of the size and scape of this shoe collection than I am in obtaining a replacement shoe (if a Chacos employee is reading this, this is not true. I would still prefer to have a replacement shoe, but in a perfect world, I would get both). I’m going to send a request for a photo from said Chacos employee, and if the request is granted, I will post it here.