By Othello Bach
I know what it’s like to yearn for shiny new shoes. When I was 6, and Sears was Sears & Roebuck, I poured over their catalog every day, daydreaming that I had a pair of black patent leather shoes. “Roman sandals,” the catalog called them. They had four straps and buckles that climbed up ankle-high. My daydream never became a reality because there was no money for new shoes, plain or fancy. I went to school barefoot until one cold winter day a teacher took pity on me and gave me a well-worn pair of boy’s shoes.
I wore them — and I knew I should be grateful — but the truth was: I hated them. They were brown, scuffed and ugly. I thought my bare feet looked better, and I could stand the cold a lot easier than I could bear the humiliation of wearing ugly, scuffed, brown boy shoes. So I ditched them every chance I got — which meant as soon as I left school and the teacher couldn’t see me.
This memory was jogged loose the other day when a friend told me about a child here in Kokomo. It was a cold, blustery day a few weeks ago. She said a girl about 7 or 8 got off the school bus wearing only socks and carrying her shoes. My friend had just donated a couple of coats to the Kokomo Urban Outreach and was about to get in her car when she spotted the child. Concerned, she crossed the street to talk to her.
As the girl approached, my friend said, “Honey, aren’t your feet cold?”
The child shrugged and reluctantly nodded.
“So why don’t you put on your shoes?”
“They hurt,” the girl said. “They pinch my toes.”
“Then they’re too small.”
The girl nodded again.
My friend wanted to rush the child into the Outreach for another pair of shoes but thought better of it. Perhaps she should check with the girl’s parents; she didn’t want to offend anyone — and for all she knew the child had other shoes at home.
“Do you live nearby?” my friend asked.
The girl pointed. “Over there.”
“Is your mom home?”
She shook her head. “No, but grandma is.”
My friend walked the child to her front door. She spoke to her grandmother and learned that the girl had only the pair of shoes that hurt her feet. She asked if it would be OK to take her over to the Kokomo Urban Outreach and find her a pair that fit. Grandma gave her permission and the little girl picked out a pair of shoes that she couldn’t wait to put on.
My friend said that helping that little girl “just made my day!”
Last Christmas, 146 volunteers helped the Kokomo Urban Outreach make 1,000 sack lunches in 35 minutes. Those lunches were delivered to families that otherwise would have had no Christmas meal, and all the volunteers were home around noon.
This year, the Kokomo Urban Outreach will be serving sack lunches to an additional 500 homes. That’s 1,500 sack lunches!
Pastor Jeff Newton works continually to fulfill his incredible mission to relieve hunger in Kokomo. He established the Outreach four years ago. The first year he served approximately 700 meals. The second year he served 15,000; the third year 80,000, and this year he has served 135,000 meals.
The Outreach has five food pantry locations and eight locations where 600 dinners are served each week.
Christmas is no ordinary day. Pastor Newton and his generous volunteer staff need your help. An hour or two from you will make a dramatic difference in someone else’s life.
Packing will begin at 10 a.m. Christmas Day and deliveries will be made between 11 and noon. If you can help for even one hour, your assistance will be deeply and sincerely appreciated. The lunches will be assembled at the United Methodist Church at 830 S. Main St. The phone number for the Outreach is 765-461-9618.
Hunger doesn’t end on Christmas. Pastor Jeff constantly needs help keeping the pantries full and continuing to do the work of Kokomo Urban Outreach. If you have an hour to give, you’ll never regret it.
• Othello Bach is a Kokomo area author and enthusiastic supporter of Kokomo Urban Outreach.
