LITTLE ROCK (KTHV) - Honoring Martin Luther King with a Day of Service continued in Little Rock on Tuesday. Some of the activity this time around focused on making sure kids in need have a good pair of "sneaks."
It turned out to be a little more than just a pair of tennis shoes. To start things off, Little Rock police officers were armed with gloves, towels, soap and water, and having a good time with these kids.
"I am happy washing your feet," Little Rock Police Officer Willie Davis sings to second-grader Anthony Boyce. They are kicking off "Step One" Tuesday in a Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King Junior.
"Maybe it's too cold for you; let me see," Officer Davis said to Boyce about the water.
The volunteers spent part of the day cleaning 221 pairs of feet at the Thrasher Boys and Girls Club, then putting on new socks and ultimately lacing up a new pair of sneakers.
"Oh, I am feeling good," Boyce said, and first-grader Jada Piggee said she loved it. She and Boyce loved this partnership between the Little Rock Black Police Association and Samaritan's Feet, a Charlotte-based non-profit making sure kids have shoes.
"This is our shoe room--a combination of donated shoes, as well as our own branded shoes," said Graham Gibbs with Samaritan's Feet.
Gibbs said, while this serves a basic need, it's more than just about shoes.
"We simply use shoes to get a one-on-one interaction with a child with the hope of inspiring them and showing love and compassion," Gibbs said.
"Feels great, feels great to be able to this service and to give especially foot washing, it was a wonderful experience," said Pastor Thomas with the Black Police Association.
Pastor Willie Thomas was happy to join his comrades Tuesday, letting Officer Davis do the singing.
The kids getting the shoes came from the Thrasher Boys and Girls Club as well as the Whetstone Club. Pastor Thomas said the need is definitely there with kids sometimes wearing shoes too small for them or socks that don't match.
Gibbs said his group has worked with the Little Rock Black Police Association in the past, and his organization actually has this same kind of event playing out right now in 25 different cities across the country.