HELPING NEIGHBORS

Retired nurse continues to care for others

Volunteer church shoe bank coordinator helps needy children in Philipsburg area

By Lori Falce

Editor's note: "Helping Neighbors" features an exceptional volunteer in Centre County each Monday. To nominate someone for a future story, e-mail cdtnewstips@centredaily.com.

Photo for the CDT/Lori Falce

Carla Bailey coordinates the Shoe Bank at Trinity United Methodist Church in Philipsburg. Photo for the CDT/Lori Falce

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PHILIPSBURG — A child's feet grow like bamboo. It's not unusual for a toddler to go up a size every month or two. It's enough to make any parent a little squeamish looking at the cost of new shoes. But for some parents, the $10 price tag for an on-sale clearance special can still mean another expense doesn't get paid this month.

And that’s where Carla Bailey comes in.

Bailey coordinates the shoe bank at Trinity United Methodist Church in Philipsburg. For six years, the shoe bank has provided children from infants to high school seniors a replacement pair of sneakers. As of this month, that has come to 2,843 pairs of new shoes.

The kids in question just have to have an Access card for medical assistance or be covered under CHIP, the state’s children’s health insurance program. Presenting the card at the monthly distribution gets each child socks and used shoes and books as well. Kids younger than 3 can get new shoes every three months. From ages 3 to 18, they can get new shoes every six months. The used shoes are always available at the distributions, held the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to noon.

“It’s always in my head,” said the retired nurse, who spent more than 25 years taking care of people professionally. Now that her three children are grown and her patients are gone, she is still focused on helping people. She won’t take too much credit, however.

“I have wonderful people with me,” she said, pointing to the retired school nurse who wrangles the other 30 volunteers, the two ladies who spend their time unpacking and lacing the new shoes, the one who does much of the shopping. “It’s a group effort.”

Sometimes, it can mean a whole day spent on nothing but shoe bank organizing. Sometimes it means an early morning pop into the Sunday school classroom where the shoes are distributed to make sure the Saturday morning activities aren’t going to interfere with Sabbath activities. And then there is the quick run through the shoe department with every stop at Walmart or Target, just in case a great sale would fall in her lap.

“We always need donations,” says Bailey, who collects money to buy the shoes and also solicits gifts of new and used shoes for adults and kids, children’s books, and Bibles. Usually, that means a face-to-face donation or a gift that has a name to go with it. But Bailey still doesn’t know who left more than 30 pairs of Riddell boys’ sneakers, brand new and boxed, at the church for the program.

She’s now urging her friends and neighbors to donate the boots that don’t fit as they unpack their winter clothes. (Winter boots are much in demand.) She sets a good example by rounding up outgrown footwear from her own 10 grandchildren. “There’s a steady supply of shoes right there.”

In 2008, a West Branch area bank opened at Morrisdale United Methodist Church, and earlier this year, another opened in Ramey to serve the Moshannon Valley School District area. Bailey says the additional venues have allowed all three churches to better serve the people with more volunteers, more donations and more opportunities.

And why does she feel volunteering is so important? It makes her a little teary when she talks about it.

“When you have been so blessed, you just feel you have to give something back,” she said. “This is my way of giving back.”