Oct. 2—Barbara Loudermilk is on a mission. The executive director of Central Oklahoma Community Action wants to make sure all kids in school have reliable shoes on their feet.

To make that happen, her team at COCA has partnered up with Shoes that Fit, a national organization that provided youth in schools with new athletic shoes and clean socks.

The group currently serves Payne, Seminole, Pottawatomie and Cleveland counties.

To help meet needs, COCA has partnered with the Norman Public Schools at John F. Kennedy Elementary, as well as Little Axe Public Schools and the City of Norman Parks Department.

Loudermilk said more donations to the program could help get more shoes to those in need.

"There is a community action group in every county in the United States, so we have to identify needs in every county," Loudermilk said. "So right now, there are four counties in central Oklahoma that the group donates all of the shoes to to meet poverty needs."

She said she wants to see good things she sees in one elementary school in all of them.

"To my knowledge, we are the only nonprofit in the state that does the Shoes that Fit program," Loudermilk said. "And what's so magical about it is $30 gets us new pair of shoes and five pairs of socks, so with that little, you've made an impact on one child."

That impact is being seen in schools like Kennedy Elementary, where counselor Tawnya Coffey runs the school clothing closet.

"The parents are very grateful, especially when they are walking out with a bag of clothes and shoes for each child," Coffey said. "It helps ease a burden for them. If you have a family that is struggling with housing, now that money doesn't have to go to clothing. It can go to housing."

The link between the programs is an important one, Coffey said, as it helps ease a burden for families that might not have any other support.

"I think the school, in collaboration with the community, because the schools take on so many roles these days," Coffey said. "I think we are just one of those places where the families feel connected and seen. They feel comfortable talking with us about their needs without judgement. It's just about trying to keep the kids' self esteem top and keep their attendance up."

And it is with those relationships that Loudermilk hopes to build on to expand the program in Oklahoma.

"It would be wonderful if we could make it statewide," she said.

To make a donation or find out more information, visit cocaa.org.

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