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
Ohio Counties0
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
School & Community Partners0
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!
We are often asked why we partner with the same schools each year, only adding new schools as our organizational capacity grows.![]()
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It is simple.![]()
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We meet a health-care need. ![]()
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Not an apparel need, not a recreational need, not a frivolous need. The damaged nails and bruising on his feet were caused by wearing shoes many sizes too small that acted like a vice grip.![]()
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These issues directly impact his health and well-being. We see thousands of children like this every year. THOUSANDS.![]()
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The only way to make a meaningful impact on these children is to keep them in shoes that fit. The only way to do that is, if possible, to help them every year.![]()
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Our goals are prevention and management of damage. Children's feet should not look like this.![]()
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The children we serve are living in hard times that may never get better.![]()
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This time of year, we are overwhelmed with schools and organizations asking to be added to our schedule. Each year, we add more, but barely scratch the surface of the need.![]()
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To all who help support and grow our mission, thank you on behalf of the many children we serve.![]()
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Bringing relief is a privile#healthneedhneed .#goodnessandmercymercy
"My life is hard. Sometimes I think no one sees or cares. I only get shoes and socks when you come to my school. There are lots like me. Thank you"![]()
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There are definitely lots of children like the one who wrote us this note. Our goal is to help as many as possible, and then help more every year.![]()
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We have begun sending out our SignUpGenius emails, gathering our volunteer teams for August and September. Helping is impossible without an army of community volunteers and donors.![]()
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Please help us. You will be glad you did.![]()
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The link you need is below.![]()
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shoes4theshoeless.org/get-involved/![]()
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Helping kids living in hard times is a privilege.
As soon as he put on his new shoes, he took off running and jumping. School starts soon, and he did not have a decent pair of shoes to wear.![]()
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The older a child gets, the harder that becomes. Other kids are often cruel.![]()
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We never take for granted seeing this kind of relief and happiness in a child, over a simple pair of gym shoes and socks.![]()
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It takes an army of supporters to make this possible. If you are one of them, thank you. If you would like to be, we need you! It is as good for you as it is for the kids.![]()
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Check out our recently updated webpage for more information.![]()
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www.shoes4theshoeless.org![]()
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Serving is a privilege.![]()
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#goodnessandmercy. .
Another commonly asked question is, since we have such a long waiting list of partners wanting to schedule, why do we keep the same ones every year? ![]()
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On the surface, it makes more sense to change partners every year, giving more children a chance to be helped.![]()
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But we have a deeper goal than just numbers. ![]()
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Shoes that fit are a crucial health care need for kids. Keeping them in the right shoes prevents the horribly painful and permanent foot damage we see everywhere we go. ![]()
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Because a typical child outgrows shoes three times per year, helping just once doesn't achieve our goal of preventative health care. ![]()
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Immediate help is great, but we aim even higher.![]()
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Because hard times last for many of the children we serve, we are delighted to help them year after year.![]()
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This note was from a girl who knows us well.![]()
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Part of it says,![]()
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"I am one of the students who needs help every year. I am thankful you want to help me so I can have a better life. When I grow up, I want to be a nurse like you or a vet"![]()
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We love the kids we serve.![]()
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Stay with us, please.![]()
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#healthneed ![]()
#goodnessandmercy![]()
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For the first few years, we were asked questions about our name.![]()
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People did not like the word "shoeless". A few school principals did not even want us parking our truck where people could see it because of that. They did not want community members to think there were children living in that level of need in their buildings. That did not make much sense, because there were countless of their students living with the deepest needs imaginable.![]()
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The real issue was the stigma against children in poverty, but back to our name.![]()
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Shoes 4 the Shoeless was NOT our first choice. We had several others, but they were already trademarked.![]()
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But, after a week or two of seeing what the children were actually wearing, we decided our name was perfect.![]()
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To grow and develop normally, children need to run, jump, climb, and play. That requires shoes that fit, are fit to wear, and allow for active physical movement. The word "shoeless" took on a different meaning to us.![]()
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We took these shoes off of children last week. The plastic rain boot was several sizes too small. The house slippers were four sizes too big.![]()
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In each case, they were the only shoes the children owned. They did not own socks. Without our help, there would be no other shoes coming their way in the near future.![]()
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To us, these children were shoeless.![]()
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We love our name and the children we serve.![]()
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We have set a goal of reaching 1,000 additional children this year, while maintaining the 20,000 we already serve. That is a big goal.![]()
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Thanks for staying with us. ![]()
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#goodnessandmercy ![]()
#healthcareneed
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.