Needy students in Manatee to get new shoes

Sometimes, people will look at banks and think all the banks want to do is to take their money.

Efforts like Regions Bank’s “Share the Good” program try to break that stereotype.

More than 100 pairs of socks and 35 pairs of shoes will soon make their way into the hands and on the feet of needy Manatee County children after local Regions Bank officials made a donation to the Manatee County School District.

“People look at us and think all we want is your money, but we look at ways to give back,” said Archie Mathis, a Manatee High graduate and Regions Bank Tara Branch manager.

Branches throughout the area spent this week making donations to community organizations in need. A total of nine school districts on the west coast of Florida, including Pasco and Sarasota, also received similar donations. This year’s Share the Good effort, which is in its seventh year, also including delivering cookies and fruit baskets to local law enforcement agencies.

Elena Garcia, Manatee’s director of federal programs, said the district has already processed paperwork for more than 300 homeless students this year. By the end of the year, the number of identified homeless students will rise to about 1,800. Garcia’s department also works with children of poverty attending the 24 Title I schools in the district and with migrant families who are not always able to afford school supplies or clothing.

The socks and shoes are a good help, she said.

“They’ll get used pretty darn quick,” she said.

The shoes will be sorted into elementary, middle and high school categories, although the majority of the donations seemed to swing toward the younger years. Garcia said homeless students will likely be the recipients of the new shoes.

“We’re in a position to be able to help connect the community with clients who can give,” said Regions Bank Lakewood Ranch branch manager Melissa Brady.

The donations were a mix from both bank employees and clients, Brady said.

This story was originally published August 24, 2016 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Needy students in Manatee to get new shoes."