We Bring Relief
Since our founding in 2010, Shoes 4 the Shoeless has delivered brand-new gym shoes and socks to disadvantaged children within Southwest Ohio through our in-school delivery program. The need is still great, so our work continues.
Will you help us?
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Children Served in 20250
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SchoolsOur Story
It Starts Like Most Stories Out There
A few people recognized an overwhelming need and had to do something about it. Since then, countless volunteers and donors have stepped up to meet one of the biggest unmet health care needs for children in poverty.
Our shoes and socks bring relief, hope, encouragement, and comfort to local children in desperate need. With your help, we can make a difference!
Making a Meaningful ImpactThe Need Is Great.
The Need Is Great.
The Opportunity Is Greater.
In 2025, Shoes 4 The Shoeless served 21,000+ children with brand new shoes and socks. However, across our 21-county footprint, we estimate that 72,000 children are still in need.
That means we are currently reaching about 30% of the need.
Together, we can close the gap.
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Children Served in 20250
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Ohio Counties Served Across Our RegionGet to Know Us
It Takes a TEAM
To deliver thousands of shoes each year, it takes incredible planning and coordination. Get to know our Staff Team, our Board of Directors, and our Greater Cincinnati Advisory Council.
What's Going On?
Wondering what we've been up to lately?
Year-round we stay busy hosting events all over the Miami Valley and Greater Cincinnati area. If you would like to keep up with us and see our mission in action, be sure to follow us on our social spaces!
FOX19 interviewed eleven-year-old cross-country runner Clara Taylor about her decision to run 250 miles to raise money for children who don't have properly fitting shoes. Please click the link below and select "The Clara 250 Mile Challenge" to donate:www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=3CUBXEZ2QZDR8
We believe that all kids deserve shoes that don't hurt their feet. Shoes that fit are a basic healthcare need.The pain and damage in these pictures were 100% preventable.This is our why.Stay with us, plea#healthcareneeden#goodnessandmercymercy
These two little boys would not come into the gym. They each kept their heads down, crying. Neither would speak to us. Sometimes it is just the sight of many strangers in your gym; sometimes it is the fear of having to pay; sometimes it is just fear of the unknown that causes moments like this.We see this often, and we have a great process to help. First, we start with volunteers who are incredibly kind and patient. Two high school girls worked with these little boys outside in the hallway away from the big crowd. They were gentle, kind, and patient with them. They treated them like they were their little brothers. The tears did not stop..One of the boys' older brothers, who was waiting in line for his shoes, saw what was happening and came over to help. That almost worked, but not quite. Each boy refused to take off their shoes, and the tears continued. They were real tears too. Not the fake kind that kids can seem to muster up at will. The youngest boy said he just wanted his mom.Talking to their teacher didn't help; offering to call home and let them talk to their mom didn't help. None of our usual methods to comfort frightened children were working.Until one of the high-school volunteers had the idea of giving all three boys matching shoes. It was like magic.The little boys looked up, smiled, and stopped crying. We found three awesome pairs of matching shoes, tried them on, and they loved them.All of this happened outside the gym in the hallway. We could have sent them back to class from there, but we wanted to erase the memory of twenty minutes of fear and crying in the stairway.So we enlisted two of our high-school boy volunteers to join the group and run with the boys around the gym, jumping over bags of shoes and dodging volunteers as they went. There were huge smiles all around.We care about the hearts of the k#goodnessandmercyoodnessandmercy
We appreciate NOVA Capital - Northwestern Mutual's passionate support for children in our community. Whenever they volunteer, employees from NOVA Capital bring so much energy, running, jumping, and playing as they serve the children.Please give a pair of socks this SOCKtober! Your donation will meet a basic need for many Southwest Ohio children!
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During the entire month of October, better known as SOCKTOBER, we are holding our annual month-long Sock Drive!Every year, we provide well over 100,000 pairs of socks to children across 21 Southwest Ohio counties. Each pair we give to a child is donated by someone like you!To support us this SOCKTOBER, please purchase socks online here: www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/16N5M2NWUIQI5; Please choose to deliver to the GIFT REGISTRY ADDRESS. Choose the option that shows Xenia, OH, to make sure that your delivery is safely received.You can also email Katie at Katie@shoes4theshoeless.org to schedule a drop-off of BRAND NEW PAIRS OF SOCKS at one of our locations.Stay with us, please.
One false assumption people make about the children we serve is that they are entitled and ungrateful.After serving over 250,000 children since 2010, we know the vast majority are neither. They are extremely grateful. Most find it hard to believe we are helping them, expecting nothing in return.We have had children reach into their pockets to pull out change to try to pay us. Children have asked for our address so they could send us money someday.The children we serve know what it is like to live with deep needs. They know what it is like to live in hard times that never seem to change.Recently, a jr. high boy insisted on giving us his used shoes. He had outgrown them by a few sizes, but wanted someone else to have them. We couldn't change his mind, and his school administrator approved it.It was very important to this young man to feel like he was helping someone else. We have a front row every week to beautiful children with beautiful hearts. Serving them is a privilege.Stay with us, plea#healthneedh#goodnessandmercymercy
Questions or Comments?
Get in Touch
If you know us, you know that we love talking about what we do and meeting new people. If you don’t know us, we’d love to talk with you! Whether you want to share an idea, talk about a need, or just say hi, we would love to hear from you.