Junior Anna Hoskins organized a drive to provide shoes for children at a public school and orphanage in Venezuela. Since its implementation in early March, Hoskins has collected 50 pairs of shoes in boxes around the school. As a result of her mother’s Venezuelan heritage, Hoskins and her family learned of the shortage of shoes for many children in need.

“One of [my mom’s] friends came forward, she has done this drive in the past, and… asked if she could do it at our school,” Hoskins said. “The big issue that she came up with is one of her friends in Venezuela is a teacher and a lot of the kids weren’t coming to school because they didn’t have shoes.”

According to Hoskins, shoes are much more expensive in Venezuela than in the United States. Students and families there are not able to walk to school or work because they have neither shoes nor the money to buy them.

“There’s so much political turmoil and inflation over there that they don’t have the means to buy new shoes,” Hoskins said. “It would take them 15 months without spending money on anything else, with the minimum wage.”

Martha Convers, who started the non profit shoe drive, is from Venezuela and is a proud supporter of this cause. She is proud of what Hoskins has been doing to help Venezuela.

“Anna has helped in many ways for the shoe drive,” Convers said. “One of them being creating awareness of what’s going on in Venezuela, [and]… precisely collecting the shoes that will help many people in my country.”

Hoskins runs the shoe drive through The Red Cross with social studies teacher Gregory DeCosmo and has been receiving donations throughout the month. Though she does not have a goal for the drive, she can’t wait to see the shoes people will donate.

“Of course, it would be great if we could raise as much as we did last time…,” Hoskins said.

Convers is overjoyed to know that Hoskins cares so much about her culture and helping others.

“Anna has such a big heart wanting to help and create awareness of what’s happening in our continent,” Convers said.

Hoskins believes that those who can and have the means to, should donate by dropping off their shoes to the labeled boxes located in classrooms around the school.