LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Jefferson County School District alum recently coordinated a massive donation of new shoes.

What You Need To Know

  • Amazon recently donated $250,000 in new shoes to Jefferson County Public Schools students

  • The United Breast Cancer Foundation donated new clothes 

  • JCPS employees collected donated items for classrooms and students

A major donation from Amazon and the United Breast Cancer Foundation is putting shoes and clothing on JCPS students who need them most.

On Friday, more than 40 JCPS employees worked tables at the district’s Clothing Assistance Program (CAP) warehouse collecting items for students they’ve identified who would benefit. The CAP at JCPS offers donated clothes and supplies throughout the year and, because of an incredible donation from these two organizations, the CAP offered the bonus event.

All the donated items are brand new, including more than $250,000 worth of shoes. 

“We have been very fortunate with corporate and nonprofit partners who have unleashed all these amazing brand-new items for us because they trust us to get it to the right people and they know there is a need,” said Justin Willis said, who leads the program at JCPS. “We’re giving out brand new loungewear, pajamas, clothing, shirts and shoes for middle and high school kids.”

Amazon donated 4,000 pairs of shoes with the help of Seneca High School alum Joshua Weber. 

“This is a great opportunity because shoes can be a bit expensive,” Weber said. “If you buy newer ones, especially on the cheaper end they tend, you tend to burn through them pretty quickly and if you buy expensive ones, well, they are expensive.”

Petrina Thompson is a family resource coordinator at Smyrna Elementary and said many of her students are new to Louisville and even to this country. 

“So I’m here to help these families get what they actually need. The basic needs that they actually need every day,” Thompson said.

She’s collecting shoes and clothing for 20 of her students. 

“I have students coming from overseas who don’t have shoes, who don’t have warm clothing and have several grandparents raising grandchildren,” Thompson continued.

She said typically she spends her own money to provide students with supplies or clothing they might need. 

“When they would need something, I would go get it,” Thompson said.

“School employees like that, especially like the family resource officers, I feel like they do have a gift for being able to identify when those in need and identify what they can do to help them,” Weber said.

In addition to the new shoes, the United Breast Cancer Foundation donated the bulk of the clothing given away on Friday.

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