They say give a person the right pair of shoes and they can conquer the world.
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And that’s exactly what children at Greater Shepparton's Berry Street are aiming to do thanks to the generosity of Shepparton’s The Athlete's Foot.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the locally owned and operated footwear store wanted to give back to the community and decided to donate a whopping $25 000 worth of shoes to disadvantaged children at Berry Street.
The Athlete's Foot business partner and store manager Allie Prior said up to 200 pairs of quality shoes would be gifted to local underprivileged children.
“We understand the benefits of quality shoes for a child’s development,” Ms Prior said.
“These are quality shoes and some kids just don’t get this opportunity to have this kind of footwear on their feet.
“We just wanted to bring a positive situation into the community at such a negative time,” she said.
Berry Street's regional director Patrice Jackson said the donation was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for some of the children.
“There’s been a great deal of excitement at Berry Street following the announcement,” Ms Jackson said.
“This sort of donation is incredibly critical because a lot of the children and young people that we work with struggle financially, so they often don’t have the opportunity to have a quality pair of shoes.
“This opportunity helps them be like their peers who have really great quality shoes that last a long time and are better for their feet,” she said.
Shepparton's Annalei Moon lives at Berry Street’s Youth Foyer and said she was immensely grateful for her new pair of shoes.
“Many of us don’t have parents to buy us these sorts of things so going to school can be hard,” Miss Moon said.
“Getting a pair of shoes just means the world to us because we can struggle to buy just basic items.
“I go to the gym a lot and I am studying to become a teacher so they will be good to wear while I’m at university,” she said.
The Athlete's Foot said they hoped to continue to work with Berry Street in the future.
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