Blog

For some parents, replacing their child’s outgrown shoes is a minor inconvenience. But for thousands of Cleveland families living in poverty, lack of proper shoes causes great anxiety—and can even create a barrier between their kids and school. By ensuring children have the basic items they need - like shoes - we can improve school attendance by up to 24% in Greater Cleveland schools. SC4K charges no fees to our recipients and therefore relies solely on the support of donations.

CLEVELAND, Ohio—Theresa Pettway is a mother of 5, and buying school clothes can not only be time consuming, but expensive, too.

CLEVELAND — Whitney Young School serves students from Pre-K through 8th grade. However, many students and teachers are faced with a barrier they can’t climb without help.

Poverty drains many parent’s pockets and that prevents some from purchasing school supplies and uniforms.

“If you’ve never had this issue, you don’t think about it,” said teacher, Dannielle Jennings.

Jennings taught 25 students last year and said 10 were homeless. The issue creates a major distraction as students find it difficult to focus.

Studies have shown that an adequately clothed and supplied student will have better attendance.

But better grades? That’s tougher to determine. Marcia Zashin, the director of Project ACT, which provides support for homeless students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, said attendance is the first step toward progress.

Read more in this special section of Crain's Cleveland Business.

Photo by: JIM BARON PHOTOGRAPHY

Meet Richard Starr, our Distribution Partner of the Year. Richard is the Club & Athletic Director at the Boys & Girls Club of Cleveland King Kennedy/East Tech Teen Center.  As a committed neighborhood Distribution Partner,  Richard plays a critical role in our mission by ensuring families receive clothing and other basic needs to improve and enrich their lives.

In 2019, Shoes and Clothes for Kids will mark its 50th year of positively impacting the lives of greater Cleveland’s neediest children. When our founder, Morrie Sayre, learned that many children in Cleveland lacked adequate footwear, he worked with the local YMCA to collect and distribute shoes. He and his friends sometimes kept supplies of shoes in the trunks of their cars so they could hand them out to kids on the playgrounds. Soon Mr. Sayre engaged his inner circle and began raising money to purchase new shoes.

Would you feel comfortable wearing someone else’s used underwear?

These are real people, not actors. They thought they were part of a focus group reviewing a new product. But it turned out to be a not-so-new product – and it got quite a reaction.   

We asked them all this question: “Would you feel comfortable wearing someone else’s used underwear?” Why? Because this is an everyday reality for thousands of kids in Cleveland. But as little as $5 can help Shoes and Clothes for Kids change that.

SC4K was recently featured as one of Romona Robinson's "Romona's Kids". Check out the video below.

View Video