When Julie Weekes heard about a church in Red Deer being instrumental in providing shoes for children at a women’s shelter, she decided to do the same in Stettler.
With the help of staff at Alliance Church, Weekes launched a campaign called ‘Agape’, which means ‘God’s love’.
Through this campaign, community and people from neighbouring towns are being asked to donate new or unused pair of running shoes for kids from kindergarten age up to Grade 6, or size 13 up to men’s 7.
September is an expensive time of year with school supplies, fees for extracurricular activities and other miscellaneous expenses bringing additional burden on family budgets.
“We just want to bless families during a very expensive time of the year,” said Weekes, who is a member of the Stettler Alliance parish. “We love to reach out to our community, not because it is a good thing to do or the right thing to do, but because we love Jesus, and God's heart is to love others,” she said explaining her motivation to get involved with the campaign.
Bob Derval, another member of the parish and one of the donors, shared his rationale for contributing to the cause.
His desire to help purchase shoes for children stems back to his one year spent in the Middle East.
“I was in Egypt for six months and spent an equal amount of time in then Palestine,” said Derval. “The sight of many children without shoes, or inadequate footwear, even during the chilly winter months, has never left me.”
Weekes intends to put a small tag on each pair of shoes with the words ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and a little bit of information about the programs that are held at Stettler Alliance.
“Sometimes families go through hard times, maybe a parent has lost their job or there’s some unexpected expenses, or maybe it's a family that regularly has to choose between paying rent and buying essential clothes,” said Beth, another contributor who declined to give her last name. “This is a practical way to show families that there are people who care.”
The campaign runs till mid-August, and shoes will be given out on August 19, from noon to 4 p.m. People are encouraged to donate shoes till then and can contact Stettler Alliance Church for more information.