Lots of Sole at the Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank
By Christopher Miller
Fifteen years ago I was graduating high school and planning to come out to Lock Haven University. That same year an organization was being formed to serve a need in the local community. The Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank, a non-profit volunteer organization that provides free, new shoes to children and youth in need in our community, was formed.
The Shoe Bank was founded by Dr. Chick Empfield, who still sits on the Board as a Charter Board Member. This October will have been fifteen years since the founding of the Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank, who most recently gave away 572 pairs of shoes in 2019.
“It started in the heart of the church, and the church continues to give us great support such as organizing and storage space, utilities, and 2 rooms in the church,” explained Board Members during a phone interview with The Record.
The Shoe Bank operates inside of Covenant United Methodist Church, located at 44 West Main Street in uptown Lock Haven. For locals: the church is across the street from the post office and next to Roads to Peace, also known as the Clinton County Women’s Center.
While there is no exact number of how many families or children have been helped so far, the number is most likely to be in the thousands of pairs of shoes. “At first it was a small operation – we had 3 pairs of shoes of each size,” explained Board Members. “There is a huge need for the Shoe Bank in our area; we have the Clinton County Housing Authority and other agencies involved in a needs survey, and this is one thing that is needed for eligible families.”
In fact, to be eligible to use the services of the Shoe Bank, children must be any age up to 18 years. When you come, you must be with an adult, and have their own PA ACCESS card, or CHIP insurance card (or an insurance card similar to that of CHIP), and must live in Clinton County (or can be in the Liberty-Curtin Elementary School area. A child can come every 6 months, or if there is a growth spurt – life happens.
The Shoe Bank only gives out new shoes, or very, very, lightly-used shoes. They try to stick to the brand names, such as Vans and Converse, but of course the prices of shoes have to stick with what can be afforded on their “shoestring” budget. The budget for the 2019 calendar year was $12,300 – for shoes, boots, socks, and minimal office supplies.
A Board Member mentioned that she has family in the Philadelphia area, and she stops at the shops where she is down there and picks up loads of shoes, others are bought online, from Kohl’s, Shoe Carnival, Shoe Department, TJMaxx, or wherever shoes can be found in stores these days.
Shoes and boots are not the only things that the children who visit the Shoe Bank receive…a new pair of socks and a book are given as well. Most of the books are donated by people, but the Board also takes a small chunk of their budget to buy books at all different reading levels – the Board consists of a few retired teachers who never stopped learning or reading!
Money is received from donations from organizations and contributors, funding is largely through grants and donations from city groups, support from the Clinton County Community Foundation, M&T Bank, New Hope Fellowship, and a large chunk of funding also comes from Blanchard Church of Christ. “We participated in the Clinton County Landfill Golf Tournament one year, and we received $4,000 from it to load up on boots for the winter,” exclaimed a Board Member.
Speaking of winter, one of the great displays of generosity has been from a local group called the Bald Eagle United Presbyterian Church Prayer Shawl Ministry. They knit and crochet wearable items, and enjoy doing it for fun! “They donate all that they make, and had made volumes and volumes of winter hats, scarves, mittens, and some socks on occasion in the past,” Board Members divulged.
The number one item on the wish list for the Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank is a library book cart, for the new shoe and boot room. This item may sound trivial to the average person, but prices of book carts online show that they can be utmost of $500 or more. Every little bit helps, especially when the Shoe Bank served more than 570 pairs of shoes and boots in 2019.
The Shoe Bank is reopening, and will be open again two times in May – May 15 and 22 by appointment only. To make an appointment, please call or text a Board Member at 814-571-5324. An email may also be sent to lhasb@outlook.com, but the most direct way to reach someone is by text. Due to the backlog of people seeking their services, the Shoe Bank has decided to be opened those two Saturdays in a row in May. “Normally we can serve 25-30 children the three hours we are open, and if special cases permit it we can care of others at off times,” explained Board Members.
Normally the Shoe Bank is open on the third Saturday of the month from 11:00am to 2:00pm, closed in June and July, and open the second Saturday in December.
When the Shoe Bank reopens, there will be proper COVID-19 protocols in place such as masks, social distancing, and temperature checks.
As a special treat, for their fifteenth birthday the Shoe Bank will be giving out individually wrapped cupcakes to the children every time they are open from May through December.
When giving freely, please do not forget about the Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank, helping those children in our community in need of shoes since 2006.
Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank
Facebook – @LockHavenShoeBank
lhasb@outlook.com
Call/Text 814-571-5324 for
an appointment
Lock Haven Area Shoe Bank
44 West Main Street
Lock Haven, PA 17745
