Cents for Shoes provides free footwear for Marion County school kids
Robin Rick of Cents for Shoes said the organization is partnering with Shoe Sensation, 1632 Marion-Mount Gilead Road, to give shoes away to qualified children at no cost to their parents or guardians. Children ages 3-18 are eligible to be registered for the giveaway.
"Cents for Shoes started in 2001 and I believe we provided 164 pairs of shoes that year for about $15 a voucher," Rick recalled. "So, as time has gone by and the cost of shoes has gone up, our donors, our contributors have made it possible for us to increase the value of the vouchers ($50 each now) and to be able to provide more vouchers. This is our fourth year working with Shoe Sensation on this project. We were just thrilled to partner with Shoe Sensation after Payless Shoes closed its Marion store. They've been a good team member and we've been very happy with the service they can provide there."
Cents for Shoes provided 1,000 pairs of shoes for 580 Marion County school-age children in 2022, Rick said. Since the inception of the program, Cents for Shoes has provided 9,907 pairs of shoes to local kids at no cost to their families, she added. She noted that the Marion Community Foundation donated $5,000 to the charity to support this year's campaign.
Shoe distribution will be Aug. 8 and 10
Rick said shoes will be distributed to children whose parents or guardians have registered them with the charity between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Aug. 8 and 10 at Shoe Sensation. Cents for Shoes will schedule appointment times for families and children to go to Shoe Sensation to exchange vouchers for a pair of shoes.
A parent or guardian must accompany each child to the store for their appointment. The parent or guardian must bring a photo identification and medical card for the child.
To register children, Rick said parents or guardians can send messages to Cents for Shoes through its Facebook page. Messages are answered in the order they are received through the Facebook page. She said volunteers will not respond to comments on the Cents for Shoes Facebook page, only messages sent through Facebook Messenger.
People who wish to make a financial donation to Cents for Shoes can send checks to Cents for Shoes, 249 E. Center St., Marion, Ohio, 43302.
Email: ecarter@gannett.com | Twitter: @AndrewACCarter
This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Cents for Shoes ready to give away new shoes for 2023-24 school year
