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.

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Children Served in 2025

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Our 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!

About Us

Making a Meaningful Impact

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 2025

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School & Community Partners

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Ohio Counties Served Across Our Region

Get 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.

Our Team

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!

Shoes 4 the Shoeless

3 days ago

Helping kids (and their moms) who are struggling is a privilege.Stay with us, please.#GoodnessAndMercy ... See MoreSee Less

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Shoes 4 the Shoeless

1 week ago

This is the time of year when we, among other things, catch up on administrative work! The most important thing we do, though, is look back and remind ourselves of our history and reason for existence.We cannot stop thinking about the many miraculous things we have seen over the years. So, we are going to share just one more. We said that last time, but we can't help ourselves. During COVID, we found out what the people of our community were made of. We, of course, kept working because it was the right thing to do. An army of volunteers kept working with us, defying the stay-at-home order.When area schools closed due to Covid, we had to find a way to keep shoes coming to kids. More about that later.But an immediate need we could meet for the kids was food. We knew that without school breakfast and lunch, many children would suffer from extreme hunger. We saw this coming, and before schools closed, we worked with our school partners to identify children who would be in desperate need of food.The week schools closed, we were ready with Food 4 The People.We had an extremely organized and methodical process. We asked our community to purchase and deliver food boxes to specific locations on specific dates and times. Another group of volunteers delivered the food to the people on our list. There were hundreds.The contents were carefully thought out, child-friendly, and required no cooking or special supplies. The goal was to prevent kids and their families from going hungry.Word spread, and within a week, several key organizations from across our area were asking us for our help, including the Dayton Area Food Bank, St. Vincent's, and many others. We always said yes. Our list grew to hundreds of families needing help, and hundreds of volunteers were needed. It all worked out.But here is how it started.During our first week of delivering, we were taking food to a facility for senior citizens. We knew exactly how many food boxes we needed. We knew exactly who they were going to. We had that exact number of food boxes in our truck, labeled and ready to go.While we were in the building, a few residents who were not on our list met us in the hallway and asked for food. They had none. They had no money; even if they did, they were afraid to ride the bus to the store. The volunteers who normally delivered their food were not allowed because of the lockdowns.Each time, we went to our truck, which we knew was empty, and found the boxes we needed for them.On our way back to drop off our empty truck, we received a call from a school partner. He knew of two children who had absolutely no food in the house and no way of getting any. It had been a day since they had eaten. He knew we were out delivering food and asked us to please take some to them.The problem was that we did not have any left. We actually pulled the truck over and looked in the back just to be sure. We told him we would run to the store and take food to the kids as soon as we could.We were not really surprised by what happened next.When we pulled our truck up to the location where we were gathering all the food, two boxes were ready to go. They had been delivered while we were gone.It was not a date or time when food was to be delivered. No one saw the person who brought the boxes. They were simply left inside the door.We were not surprised at this point. Just extremely grateful to the One who directs our mission.When we took the food to the kids, they showed us their empty refrigerator.Stay with us, please. It is good for you to see what#GoodnessAndMercyssandmercy ... See MoreSee Less

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Shoes 4 the Shoeless

2 weeks ago

One more example of the incredible, explainable only by incredible intervention, things we often see.This young girl had been horribly burned head to toe in a house fire a few years ago. Firefighters pulled her out of a burning bed. Her body was on fire. That she survived is incredible.Her body was covered in scars; she had no eyelashes or eyebrows, and very little hair on her head. She could not put her left foot flat on the ground.It was almost eighty degrees the day we saw her, but she was wearing snow pants. She told us she wore them to hide her scars from the other kids.Since being burned years ago, she had only worn house slippers because there were no other shoes she could get on her feet.The house slippers were way too big and filthy. She did not have socks.After we had tried on every shoe we had unsuccessfully, her volunteer asked me to help.Seeing her feet, my first thought was that we would not have anything that would work. I had zero confidence that we would even be able to special-order shoes that would fit. I mentally ran through all of my health care resources, trying to find someone who could help. I knew there were none.But, I told her I was going to look at our inventory and see if we had something. I knew we did not, but I wanted her to see we would try.As I walked to our inventory, I asked God to somehow please make this work for her. I cannot say I expected an answer.But, the answer was right there all along. The pair of shoes you see in this picture was perfect. I would have never in a million years predicted that. Our volunteer had tried on every shoe in her size and was astounded that this pair was even there. She thought they were not when she looked.We know how this happened.Stay with us. It is good for you to see what we see.#healthcareneed #GOODNESSANDMERCYFOLLOWUS ... See MoreSee Less

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Shoes 4 the Shoeless

3 weeks ago

We have experienced MANY things over the years that a reasonable person can only attribute to miraculous intervention. So many, we could write a book. We shared one recently, but want to share just one more.A school nurse called us for help a few months after we started in 2010. She had a little girl who was having trouble walking because her feet hurt from shoes that were many sizes too small.In our early days, we had no inventory on hand. We relied on referring partners to send us sizes, and then we bought and delivered the shoes. When the shoes did not fit, which was the majority of the time, we started over until we got it right.We kept the shoes that did not fit, which is how we developed an inventory!The school nurse had given us the size for her student. We quickly purchased shoes and took them to her.But, she would not let us help her. She would not let her nurse help her. She cried. She refused. She fought.It took a while for her to tell us why.Her mother had died months ago. Before she died, this little girl had been removed by Children's Services and placed in foster care. She did not see her mom before she died.The shoes she was wearing, which were MANY sizes too small, were a gift from her mom before they were separated. They were all she had to remember her mom by.To this little girl, these shoes WERE her mom.We explained to her that she could absolutely keep her old shoes, but told her we thought her mom would not want her feet to hurt.Her nurse gave her a doll to hold for courage. She let us take off her old shoes.I snapped this photo the minute she saw her new shoes. Her hand flew to her heart. The new shoes were IDENTICAL to her old ones. They were pink Hello Kitty shoes, just like the ones her mom gave her.The same shoe, just three sizes bigger. They were a perfect fit.We know how that happened.Thank you for staying with us; it is good for you to see what we s#healthneedhneed ... See MoreSee Less

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Shoes 4 the Shoeless

3 weeks ago

We have spent the last years creating an impactful and beautiful process for the children we serve.We currently reach over 20,000 local children each year. It takes an army of community supporters to make numbers like this possible. The children we serve are our "why".This little boy was so overjoyed about his new shoes and socks that he asked if he could borrow my phone to call his grandmother. He told us his mom was gone forever, and he lived with his grandma. She did not have enough money to buy him new shoes. He could not wait till he got home to talk with her.He took my phone, and ran into the hallway to call home. He described his new shoes in detail. He described his socks. He told her he could not believe we came to his school to help him.He said it was the luckiest day of his life.We know that our process is detailed and intentional. We know our process takes time and money. We know our process takes a tremendous amount of effort. We also know that on paper, it is impossible.But, it is worth it for children like him, and those who love him, who are living in hard times.Our hearts and minds are set on adding one thousand more children to our schedule.If you would like to help, below are the links to donate and to volunteer.All we need are people and dollars!Stay with us, please. Helping is a privilege.shoes4theshoeless.org/give/shoes4theshoeless.org/get-involved/#healthneed ... See MoreSee Less

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Shoes 4 the Shoeless

4 weeks ago

Sometimes kids do not want to wear their new shoes; they want to put their old ones back on, no matter what condition they are in.It is usually for a few reasons.They want to save them because our shoes are the best pair they have ever owned.They are afraid to get their new ones dirty.The most common reason is that they want to show their mom first. They want her to see the new shoes in the box, to share in the happiness.But, just when we think we have heard it all, we hear a new reason. This little boy did not want to wear his new shoes because his birthday was coming up. He said he would not be getting any presents this year because "they were having a hard time". His plan was to save his new shoes so they could be his present.We gave him a second pair to save for his birthday and lots and lots of socks.Our schedule is set for next year, with an incredibly long waiting list of schools pleading to be added.Our team is working hard to make a deeper footprint to the kids who need us. Thank you to all who volunteer time and dollars.What we all do together matters more than you can imagine.Stay with us, please, as we continue to meet one of the biggest, unmet health-care needs for kids in hard times.#goodnessandmercy ... See MoreSee Less

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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.

Contact Us

We Bring Relief

It Starts Like Most Stories Out There

The Need Is Great. The Opportunity Is Greater.

It Takes a TEAM

What's Going On?

Wondering what we've been up to lately?

Get in Touch

The Need Is Great.
The Opportunity Is Greater.