Shoe Buddy

KCOE has been hand-fitting new shoes for Springfield children in need for over 60 years. Please show your support by a donation today. A $15 gift will buy one pair of new school shoes for a Springfield school child.

Kiwanis Shoe Bank

Kiwanis Club of Ozark Empire was chartered in 1950. Through coordination with the Springfield School System, the club’s founders chose the mission of providing financially qualified Springfield school children with brand new, free school shoes. The club’s mission to build children’s dignity through new school shoes has continued uninterrupted for over 63 years, making it one of Missouri's longest-running community service projects. The club raises all monies, buys and stocks different styles of new shoes, and even operates a city-wide, free shoe bank in collaboration with the Springfield PTA’s Clothing Bank. To this day, members of the Kiwanis Club of Ozark Empire and its friends still spend one-on-one time personally hand-fitting shoes for pre-qualified school children, grades K thru 12. Each child can express their individual “style” by picking out their shoes from the shoe bank’s varied stock of new shoes. During this last school year, the Kiwanis Shoe Bank hand-fitted over 1,100 pairs of new shoes. That brings the total number of new shoes purchased, hand-fitted, and given to Springfield school children since 1950 to over 26,000 pairs of free shoes.

Clothing Bank Shopping Dates (2022/2023):

Thurs. Aug. 18 – 10 am-noon, 2-6 pm

Thurs. Sept. 1 – 10:00am -4:30pm

Thurs. Sept. 15 – 10:00am – 4:30pm

Thurs. Sept. 29 – 10:00am – 4:30pm

Thurs. Oct. 13 – 10:00am – 4:30pm

Thurs. Oct. 27 – 10:00am – 4:30-pm

Saturday, October 29 – 10:00 am-noon

Thurs. Nov. 10 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. Dec. 1 – 10:00am – 4:30pm

Thurs. Dec. 15 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. Jan. 12 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. Jan 26 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. Feb. 9 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. Feb. 23 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. March 30 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. April 13 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. April 27 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

Thurs. May 11 – 10:00am – 4:30pm 

A second Saturday date is planned for the 2nd half of the school year (the date is yet to be determined).