‘Back on their feet’: Record number of shoes given to Lincoln people in need

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Tens of thousands of shoes are being handed out to people in need in Lincoln.

Cornhusker Bank partnered with the People’s City Mission for their annual One Day Without Shoes event.

The community donated a record-high 69,600 shoes, which were sorted and laid out on tables on Friday.

People in need were able to walk through and pick out a couple of pairs of shoes and several pairs of socks.

“This was amazing,” said Rannielle Hollings, a Lincoln mom.

She and her children were able to take home 15 pairs of shoes for free.

Carissa Bullock, the vice president of marketing for Cornhusker Bank, said it can bring kids a lot of confidence to have new shoes to wear at school.

She also said sometimes a nice pair of dress shoes can be the boost someone needs for a job interview.

“That’s where the heart of all of it is,” Bullock said. “Just being able to get people back on their feet.”

Pastor Tom Barber with the city mission said this is enough shoes to put a new pair on the feet of everyone who needs one.

But even so, he expects them to be cleaned out within a few weeks due to high demand.

Bryan Davis, the senior vice president of marketing for the mission, said it’s incredible to see the community support grow every year.

“Everybody who’s got something to give has given in this way,” he said. “They’ve done a really good thing for a lot of people that could really use it today.”