New Shoes for Los Angeles Children

Food insecurity and access to basic needs

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Frequent apparel purchases are difficult for low-income families. Without shoes that fit, children miss school regularly, putting them at risk for chronic absenteeism, falling behind, and ultimately dropping out. Our shoes alleviate a financial burden for families. They increase access to social services, health and wellness visits, school attendance, and recess participation. New shoes equip kids for outdoor play, fostering skill-building, emotional regulation, and confidence. Fitting in with their peers will reduce bullying, allowing kids to focus on their academic studies.
Operation Warm's Wish List receives requests every day from schools, shelters, and human service agencies that have identified an urgent need for clothing essentials to serve the children in their care. As of June 2024, we have received requests for 2,235 pairs of shoes from Los Angeles schools and organizations, including 66th Street STEAM Academy, which serves low-income, foster, and homeless households.

Operation Warm manufactures brand-new, athletic-style shoes for school-aged children. Our shoes are built to last, machine-washable, and come with two pairs of socks. Kids have the "shopping experience" to choose their favorite color and style. Our programs are powered by local volunteers, the case workers, teachers, and counselors who interact daily with the children we serve and help identify those most in need. When possible, our trained Community Impact Volunteers living in Los Angeles will lead and implement a successful event onsite. We provide partners with custom fundraising tools, a sizing algorithm, and shipment by FedEx within 7-10 business days.
Operation Warm has served Los Angeles since 2018. Our longest-standing partnerships are with Thomas' Breads, Equitas Academy, and Hooper Primary Center. In the past year, we gifted 1,249 coats and 1,542 pairs of shoes to Los Angeles children. At 96th Street Elementary, volunteers from FedEx worked hand in hand with students, helping them select their shoe size and favorite color. We fulfilled a Wish List request for Acts of Compassion through geographically unrestricted individual donations. The Operation Warm model works because most of the programmatic effort is completed by volunteers who unload, unpack, and stock coats and shoes, and assist with distributing them to children. Local volunteers come from our partner schools, nonprofits, corporations, Rotarians, faith-based leaders, and other service organizations.

The gift of new shoes alone cannot solve poverty, but connecting children in need with society’s safety net can create a brighter future where every child has access to the resources and support they need to succeed. To a child who may never have owned new shoes, it can mean the world. Our program will meet immediate needs while enabling children to be active outdoors and enhance their sense of belonging among peers. Removing barriers to school attendance is a protective factor for long term health, well-being, social mobility, and a positive trajectory for individual success.The gift of new clothing is a powerful motivator for families to connect with services they wouldn't seek on their own. Fulfilling basic needs enables our partner service providers to address other drivers of change for families. By addressing financial challenges and enhancing educational experiences, we empower children to thrive in all aspects of their lives.

We conduct post-program evaluations with our community partners and beneficiary recipients within 30 days of their gifting event. This data collects their impressions of the personal impact on children and families and perceived coat/shoe quality. It also helps to inform our logic model (available upon request), planning implementation, and effectiveness of our programming every year. Our program is designed to have short-term and long-lasting outcomes, impacting children's health, education, and access to vital services. Our most recent survey of 440 partners who gifted coats or shoes in the past year reflects the following successes:
95% of respondents agreed that the coats or shoes eased a financial burden for the child's caregiver.
89% agreed the event provided a positive community interaction.
80% agreed that children experienced increased self-esteem and confidence.
75% agreed that the coat or shoes encouraged outdoor play and socialization.