Executive director Kris Horlacher called the turnout “amazing” even though COVID-19 has caused changes in protocols that have limited how many kids they are able to help.
“We don’t like it,” she said. “We hate it. It’s very, very different for us, but we are very committed to giving. Shoes and socks are the biggest need for a child in poverty. We are very committed to helping as many of those kids as we can.”
Shoes 4 the Shoeless typically would serve 3,500-4,000 children annually in Springfield, but Horlacher said that will not be attainable this year.
To maintain social distancing, the organization has developed a drive-up system.
Typically, children would be measured for the size of shoes and socks they need, but that is also being avoided when possible.
However, Horlacher said they would still measure if an accompanying adult did not know the size their child needs.
She said 438 children were served Monday, but she hoped to be able to help more in the coming days and weeks through a program called the Shoe Closet.
“We’re going to leave in every Springfield school two pairs of every size shoe so kids can still come to school to get them and when they run out we will restock,” she said.
Horlacher credited the Clark County Sheriff’s department with helping put on the event.
“They are a blessing,” she said. “I want everybody to know your county is the only county that has the community buy-in you do. We work 12 counties and only this county has the community support, the community buy-in. It isn’t anywhere else, so I just tell everybody in Springfield y’all care about each other still, and y’all come together and you care and you’re willing to work. I just love coming out here.”
She added that representatives from the Clark County Sheriff’s department would be going to Middletown to help with distribution there.
That will include serving undocumented individuals.
“You have a big Latino community,” she said. However, some went unserved because they don’t speak English, can’t follow the details on social media or were afraid to come to the event.We will get the shoes back up here and get the sheriff’s office to distribute the shoes to churches who will distribute them to the children. It’s beautiful,” Horlacher said.
At an earlier event in New Carlisle, Shoes 4 the Shoeless served nearly 200 children July 23 at Tecumseh High School.
Shoes 4 the Shoeless, based in Dayton, was started in 2010 to “meet the biggest unmet need for a kid in poverty, which is one pair of shoes that fits and a pair of socks,” said Horlacher.
The organization typically helps 25,000 to 26,000 children a year in schools in 12 counties.
About the Author
