Charity assists needy feet

As Willie Hall looks after the students she supervises at Field Elementary School, one thing she keeps an eye on is what they’re wearing.

“I check the students’ feet and clothes during the times when they are in the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch, during the time I am supervising this area,” she said.

Hall, home-school communicator at Field, is in the habit of identifying children who need shoes, and she’s not alone. Teachers and staff at local elementary schools have been working with Shoes That Fit, a non-profit children’s charity that says it has provided more than 351,000 new pairs of shoes and clothing items to children around the United States since 1992.

OnMedia, the advertising sales division of local cable television company Mediacom, started the charity activities in Columbia as part of the national company’s efforts to provide shoes in 10 U.S. markets.

Victoria Frank, marketing and research coordinator for OnMedia in Columbia, said the charity has given out more than 1,300 pairs of shoes in the past three years to local schoolchildren.

“So far this year, we have received need cards for over 400,” Frank said last month. “We have probably collected about 150 pairs of shoes so far, and we still need at least 250 pairs.”

Hall, the program coordinator at Field Elementary, said that in most cases a permission slip is sent home with the child for a parent or guardian to sign or a call is made to the home.

“Shoes means everything to a child’s health and happiness,” Hall said.

Staff and teachers have provided some of the shoes for students at Field. The Wardrobe also provides some vouchers, and community contributions include help from the Assistance League and the VFW Ladies Auxiliary.

Tambra Redden, home-school communicator at Russell Boulevard Elementary, said children need shoes for a variety of reasons: Some have never owned a new pair of shoes, and some have on summer shoes because they are less expensive. Other children come to school with shoes that are too small or tight or rely on shoes from family members, she said.

“The children are more than proud to receive the shoes,” Redden said. “It is really amazing the response you get when you give a child a new pair of shoes. Sponsors would not believe the reactions.”

There are six local sponsors for Shoes That Fit: Chevy’s Fresh Mex, Sylvan Learning Center, KCLR/99.3 FM, The Academy of Fine Arts and Early Childhood Learning, Hyvee and Mediacom. The businesses have need cards that let people donate both shoes and clothes. Only new items are accepted.