Students collect shoes for charity

If parents wonder what their children are learning in First United Methodist Church of Portales' King's Kids program, it's to be kind and generous citizens.

The nondenominational group for Portales students in first through fifth grades takes on a community service project each semester and the group sent off the fruits of their labor from this year's project on Wednesday.

The group of about 20 students collected 473 pairs of shoes, packed them in 35 boxes and mailed them to Soles 4 Souls, a charity organization that provides shoes for the needy.

Christina Calloway: Portales News-Tribune

King's Kids members, a nondenominational children's program at First United Methodist Church, put shoes in a bin for Souls 4 Soles, a charity that collects and distributes shoes to people in need. Their collection efforts were a part of their program's community service project.

"They're just a caring and loving group," said Jan Smartnick, choir director at the church and one of the organizers of the program.

Smartnick said disasters occur all over the world, including here in America, with such recent events as Hurricane Sandy that leave people without their possessions, including shoes.

This project was to teach the children to give to those in need who have less than them.

"It was a joint effort," Smartnick said. "We had collection boxes at the church as well."

Children went about their own methods of collecting shoes, including speaking at their churches.

One brother and sister crew took it upon themselves to speak before their congregation at their home of Calvary Baptist Church of Portales, to let people know their collection efforts were coming from the heart.

"We just gathered up some old boxes and we had our church put the shoes in the boxes," said 7-year-old Jeremy Essary. "Every Sunday we'd check and the pile just got higher and higher."

"Jeremy and I gave some of our own shoes, too," added his sister 8-year-old Kymberlyn Essary.

The Essarys said their church joined their efforts by filling up nearly five boxes of shoes.

"Our pastor brought them here in his pickup truck," Jeremy said.

Kymberlyn added that the shoes will go to the shoeless all over the world.

"It's helping children that don't have stuff that we do," she said. "It's not fair that they don't have them."

The children said they collected all forms of shoes, including new and used pairs of sneakers and dress shoes.

"It teaches them to share and they learn that they are privileged, that a lot of people don't have thins that they have," Smartnick said. "They love doing projects like these."

Nine-year-old Karleah Hulett and 7-year-old Cody Webster already have ideas for their next service project.

"Maybe we can sell clothes; I like fashion," Hulett said. "I want to be a fashion designer."

Webster's dream career choice of a race car driver influences his desire to promote traffic safety.

"I want to help people cross the street," Webster said.