Local community group seeks help providing shoes for youth
Published 9:21 am Thursday, December 6, 2018
- File Photo Carter County Community Advisory Board is currently collecting new and very gently used shoes to assist the school-aged children living in the Elizabethton Housing Communities.
Members of a local community organization are working toward helping children in Elizabethton get warm shoes for winter. Carter County Community Advisory Board is currently collecting new and very gently used shoes to assist the school-aged children living in the Elizabethton housing communities.
The CAB has installed boxes in locations throughout the city where the shoes can be dropped off. Those locations include Shoe Sensation, Burkes Outlet, Polished Nail Salon, and the Elizabethton Carter County Public Library.
Those wishing to make financial contributions to the project can drop them off at the United Way Office at 210 South Hills Drive. Director Crystal Carter says this small project can make a huge impact on the lives of these children.
“One of the most frequent major purchases that low income families deal with are shoes. Children’s feet grow at such a fast rate that sometimes it feels like you just bought a pair, you blinked, and now they’re too small. This event will help ease the burden by supplying a warm pair to get them through the winter.”
The shoes will also be delivered at a time when a lot of families are struggling, according to Event Coordinator Ella Kane. “We know the families have a hard time after spending on Christmas and higher winter heating bills, and we thought this was something we could do to help them out. Children should be warm and comfortable with good shoes. It helps them feel better and learn better.”
Anyone wishing to donate shoes should make sure they have closed-toes and are made in a way that children can still participate in physical education and school activities with them.
The shoes will be distributed at a “Shoes and Spaghetti” event held at the United Way at 210 South Hills Drive on January 15, 2019. The kids and their families will be invited to come and have a hearty meal and walk out with new shoes.
For more information on the project you can contact Carter County Community Advisory Board, United Way Elizabethton/Carter County, or the Elizabethton Carter County Public Library.
