shoes for needy school-age kids
Donation protected
Zapatos, Inc. is an all volunteer non-profit corporation that provides shoes to school age children from less fortunate households. We raise money through donations and fund raisers. I started Zapatos, Inc. when I noticed an acute need among the poor of our community. I gathered some wonderful women for my board of directors, who are not afraid of hard work and know what poverty means to families.
I spoke with a women who told me when she was growing up, her mother had left them and her father was raising the four of them. He worked all day and was barely making ends meet. When school started, he would take them to the Goodwill with a $5.00 budget each to get their shoes and what little cloths they could get. She said once they got their shoes, they had to last all year. When the shoes no longer fit, she would cut the front of the shoes a little to give her some growing room. My heart was breaking for her.
When you have to decide between food, rent, utilities and shoes for your kids.....shoes never make the list of priorities. We have already given out shoes to several schools, and have already received applications from four schools from the San Antonio ISD for some of the students.
The one thing about children is, they never let you down. When you give a child a new pair of shoes, they light up. They keep looking down at their shoes....they are new and the shoes are all theirs. They don't have to share with anyone else, and believe me when I tell you, some children do share their shoes with their siblings. It is not unusual for one pair of shoes to be worn by two or three siblings. Children need shoes to keep their feet dry when it rains and warm when it is cold. Please click and help us achieve our goal. Give a child a pair of shoes! SHOES ARE FOUNDATIONAL; SHOES ARE FUNDAMENTAL.
I spoke with a women who told me when she was growing up, her mother had left them and her father was raising the four of them. He worked all day and was barely making ends meet. When school started, he would take them to the Goodwill with a $5.00 budget each to get their shoes and what little cloths they could get. She said once they got their shoes, they had to last all year. When the shoes no longer fit, she would cut the front of the shoes a little to give her some growing room. My heart was breaking for her.
When you have to decide between food, rent, utilities and shoes for your kids.....shoes never make the list of priorities. We have already given out shoes to several schools, and have already received applications from four schools from the San Antonio ISD for some of the students.
The one thing about children is, they never let you down. When you give a child a new pair of shoes, they light up. They keep looking down at their shoes....they are new and the shoes are all theirs. They don't have to share with anyone else, and believe me when I tell you, some children do share their shoes with their siblings. It is not unusual for one pair of shoes to be worn by two or three siblings. Children need shoes to keep their feet dry when it rains and warm when it is cold. Please click and help us achieve our goal. Give a child a pair of shoes! SHOES ARE FOUNDATIONAL; SHOES ARE FUNDAMENTAL.
Organizer
Gloria Clement Martinez
Organizer
San Antonio, TX