Alisa Ward, director of Sole Mission helped Green River Pre-K student Zaylee Winn choose a free pair of new shoes during the inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive at the First Assembly of God church in Rock Springs on Sunday, August 7. Free backpacks were also available to kids in need as well.
In order to ensure proper fitting, volunteers were on-site to determine shoe sizes of school children before they picked out their new pair of shoes at the inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive at the First Assembly of God church in Rock Springs on Sunday, August 7.
School children had the opportunity to choose a free back pack at the inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive.
Alisa Ward, director of Sole Mission helped Green River Pre-K student Zaylee Winn choose a free pair of new shoes during the inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive at the First Assembly of God church in Rock Springs on Sunday, August 7. Free backpacks were also available to kids in need as well.
In order to ensure proper fitting, volunteers were on-site to determine shoe sizes of school children before they picked out their new pair of shoes at the inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive at the First Assembly of God church in Rock Springs on Sunday, August 7.
School children had the opportunity to choose a free back pack at the inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive.
ROCK SPRINGS – When a family barely has enough money for food after paying household bills, preparing their children for the new school year can be stressful. Some children return to school without the materials they need to succeed.
But this year, there are a few organizations that are connecting kids in need with the supplies required in classrooms.
Volunteers from a local church kicked the week off by giving the gift of opportunity that many children will not receive otherwise.
The inaugural Back to School Blessing shoe drive took place at The First Assembly of God in Rock Springs on Sunday, August 7.
Assisting young students from Pre-K to eighth grade, volunteer shoe fitters greeted them in the main lobby area, ready to help them find the perfect fit.
Members of the church partnered with Sole Mission for training. Sole Mission is dedicated to giving new well-fitting shoes to low-income children in the United States. They host shoe drives in Riverton, Lander and Laramie as well.
“We want to make sure kids are getting the right fitting shoes,” said Kelly Ward, facilitator of Sole Mission. “Kids can grow two or three sizes a year in shoes.”
About 250 new shoes were donated for the event. Bomba brand packaged socks were also available on tables in the next room.
“For every pair of socks that Bomba sells, they give a pair away for free,” Ward shared. “They’re very generous.”
Green River Pre-K student Zaylee Winn smiled as she found shoes with her favorite colors on them. She said “they will match her clothes and they feel great.”
The back-to-school drive began at 2 p.m. but according to Pastor Nicole Heidt, families were arriving by 12:30.
“It’s exciting to do this for the community,” Heidt expressed. “We really didn’t know what to expect since this is our first time doing this.
“We hope it would be a blessing for them. We want to help those who are struggling because of rising costs in food, gas and whatever makes it difficult for them to buy school supplies and shoes.”
She added, “Getting ready for school is such a huge economic investment. We just hope this makes it a little easier.”
She noted that some families may not even be able to afford $10 socks.
“That’s why we’re doing it,” she said. “I hope this is the beginning of something. We have a great partnership with Sole Mission and we’re looking forward to doing it every year.”
The children also had the opportunity to pick out a free backpack and a fresh-from-the-grill hot dog.
Volunteer Kitty Johnson recalls how difficult it was for her parents to buy school supplies and shoes for her and her siblings as “the new school year started to sneak on them.”
“It feels really awesome doing this,” said Johnson. “It’s not easy to prepare the little ones for school, especially for those families with more than one child these days. Kids in our community need all the help they can get.”
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