A little girl gets fitted for a new pair of shoes, thanks to the Wilkinson Center’s Carlin Morris Back-to-School Drive. Photo courtesy of Wilkinson Center.
If you’re itching to put some good into the world this week, Wilkinson Center has a chance for you.
The nonprofit’s 40th annual Carlin Morris Back-to-School Drive specifically focuses on providing 400 children with new shoes and socks, plus other school supplies. The last day to contribute to the drive is Thursday, July 30. You can give monetarily here. A donation of $50 will buy one new pair of shoes for a child. Those wanting to help can also volunteer for the drive’s distribution days on Friday and Saturday, July 31 and Aug. 1, here.
“For many of the children Wilkinson Center serves, the new pair of shoes they receive at our annual shoe distribution will be the only pair they have for the entire school year,” Executive Director Daley Ryan said in a press release. “Those, combined with our backpack full of new supplies, ensure they can start the school year on equal footing with their peers. We can think of no better way to commemorate this milestone year than to help 400 kids return to school this fall with the tools they need for a successful year.”
This effort began when volunteer Carlin Morris saw that children served by the center wore shoes with holes and tattered soles, according to the press release. Since starting the drive in 1986, over 40,000 kids have received new shoes and socks.
Carlin Morris, founder of the children’s shoe drive named after her. Photo courtesy of Wilkinson Center.
Wilkinson Center aims to “end hunger and generational poverty, starting here in North Texas,” according to its website. The nonprofit’s Education and Employment Center and Food & Support Services are on North Buckner Boulevard.
