Soles for Christ provides opportunity for new shoes

Alex Simone, St. Joseph News-Press, Mo.
·2 min read

Aug. 2—The start of another school year is just a few weeks away, and for many area students, Tuesday came with the excitement of a new pair of shoes.

For two decades, Soles for Christ has provided new shoes to children in need, and this year is no different.

For local fifth grader Tryston Funk, the fun of getting new shoes was simply "getting to wear them," he said. He was excited to visit with his younger brothers and get a new pair of tennis shoes, even if there was a long wait.

Around 1,200 pairs of shoes are expected to be given out between Tuesday and Wednesday at Civic Arena, Soles for Christ Executive Director Nichi Seckinger said.

It felt nice to see so many families participating in the event, Seckinger said.

"Seeing how excited the kids are and knowing that they enjoy this process and being excited about their shoes, that's always the big thing for us," she said. "You can ask any of the volunteers here and they'll tell you that there are times when watching these kids get that excited ... it's pretty heartwarming."

Elementary school student Robert Christianson said the best part about his new Nike shoes was just "how well they fit."

One of the most important aspects of the shoe giveaway is remaining adaptable. That's why Soles for Christ makes efforts like extending the hours of operation, and adding more counties this year to include coverage of DeKalb and Clinton counties, Seckinger said.

"We were getting calls saying there was a need for that addition," she said. "That's why we decided to add those this year. But, you know, we've seen them come as far out to the edges of our existing counties for as long as we've had the program."

Prior to this year, the coverage area included only Andrew, Buchanan and Doniphan counties.

Soles for Christ continued until 7 p.m. Tuesday and returns from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

The event used to end at 5 p.m. but the time was extended to make getting to Civic Arena in time easier, Seckinger said.

Alex Simone can be reached at alex.simone@newspressnow.com. Follow him on Twitter at @NPNOWSimone.