Project gives shoes, socks to children in need

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With boxes of shoes and packages of socks filling their shopping cart, Becca Hattabaugh and her mother, Becky Wilson, were approached by a Walmart shopper.

The man wanted to know why the two women were buying all of the shoes and socks.

They explained that the items will be given to Brownstown and Crothersville students who need them.

The man then handed them a donation to put toward their purchases.

In the six years they have done the Warm Hearts Warm Toes project, that was the first time something like that had happened.

“I was just really surprised,” Hattabaugh said. “I’m sure he was wondering what in the world I was getting all of those shoes for, but it was nice. I didn’t know whether to hug him or to shake his hand when I said thank you. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness! This has never happened.’ There are kind people out there.”

Wilson said it’s possible the man was drawn to give since he knew where his money was going.

“I think when they know what it’s going for that they would be more willing to give us a donation,” she said.

Wilson, Hattabaugh and her son, Brayton Hattabaugh, recently delivered nearly 70 pairs of shoes and socks to Brownstown Elementary School for counselor Jill Miller to distribute to students who need them.

They also dropped off 20 pairs of shoes and socks at Crothersville Community Schools.

The organizers hope to get more donations so they can purchase shoes and socks for students in need at Brownstown Central Middle School.

In the six years of the project, more than 500 new pairs of shoes and socks have been distributed.

It started in 2012 when Hattabaugh was serving as a substitute teacher at Brownstown Elementary School and saw students wearing flip-flops in the winter.

She realized everyone needs warm shoes and socks, but because of the economy, it’s not always easy for parents to provide those necessities.

A gift tree was set up one year to provide toys for children at Christmas, but Hattabaugh knew they needed necessities, too.

That’s when she started Warm Hearts Warm Toes with the help of her family and some church members.

In the first year, the project provided shoes and socks for about 25 Brownstown students. The project also has helped students in Medora and Seymour in the past.

Each year, Wilson and Hattabaugh work with school counselors and teachers to identify students who can benefit from Warm Hearts Warm Toes. They then collect donations so they can shop for the shoes and socks.

They also receive some funding from St. Vincent de Paul Society, an international Catholic organization that helps less-fortunate people with a variety of services.

This year, however, that funding was lower because of the organization helping with hurricane relief efforts.

“They try to set aside so much to help with our project, too, because we’ve been doing it for so many years, but they’ve been giving to relief for both of the hurricanes, and Catholic charity, they do a lot for many different types of situations,” Hattabaugh said.

A couple of years ago, St. Vincent de Paul Society received a grant that helped them provide more shoes and socks and even some sweatpants to local schoolchildren, but that funding wasn’t available this year.

Still, they were able to collect enough donations to make a difference for students in Brownstown and Crothersville, and they are continuing to collect monetary donations to help more kids.

“Our main thing is to keep it going because we don’t want to stop doing it because we know how much it’s needed,” Hattabaugh said. “If anybody in the community wants to help, just $10 here, $10 there, it just kind of builds up. We want to make it happen. No matter where we get it, how we get it, we just want to make it happen. It’s for our community.”

Miller said students at Brownstown Elementary School have come to expect new shoes and socks once wintertime arrives.

“It’s a wonderful thing, and we do rely on that,” she said.

The best part is seeing the children’s faces when she hands them a new pair of shoes, Miller said.

“They are excited about it,” she said. “It’s a wonderful part of my job.”

While Wilson and the Hattabaugh family don’t receive any personal monetary benefits from the project, their reward is knowing they are doing something good for the community.

It has become a family tradition.

“Every time I go to my grandma’s, you just see shoes everywhere,” Brayton said, smiling. “It just feels good helping give to kids who don’t have it.”

Making somebody else smile is heartwarming, Becca said.

Buying all of the shoes and socks takes time, but it’s all worth it, Wilson said.

“It’s fun knowing that we’re doing something for somebody else,” she said.

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To contribute to the Warm Hearts Warm Toes project, contact Becca Hattabaugh at 812-528-0316.

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