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ALTON - More than 150 kids from Granite City Community School District #9 were able to pick out their own pair of shoes Friday morning at the Famous Footwear inside Alton Square Mall.
This was made possible by All God's Children Shall Have Shoes, a non-profit that provides socks and shoes to children in need.
This has become an annual event for many schools in and around the Riverbend area including Granite City, Wood River, and Alton.
The event dates back to 2013, but the AGCSHS program was started in the 1960s by a few Illinois Bell workers who saw some kids walking to school without shoes on.
Students were bussed in from their schools, thanks to buses provided by First Student Inc., and then received help from multiple volunteers to size them and pick out a pair of shoes of their liking.
Volunteers were from surrounding police and fire departments. An estimated 30-plus volunteers attended the non-profit event.
According to Sue Wooden, one of the event's key organizers, these events take a few months to prepare, but the work is all worth it.
"Number one, it's great for the kids to get to come here and actually pick out and make a choice on their own shoes instead of us just handing them a pair," Wooden said. "It's great to be able to give back to the local community, with the kids especially."
Below is the remaining schedule for the All God's Children Shall Have Shoes 2022 season. Also below is a PR code that allows donations to be made through the foundation's Venmo account.
