$60,000 Grant Helps Deliver New Shoes to 2,000 Students Affected by Eaton Fire

Brand new athletic shoes to students affected by the devastating Eaton Fire (Photo – PCF)

Nonprofit organization Shoes That Fit partnered with the Pasadena Community Foundation (PCF) to provide brand new athletic shoes to students affected by the devastating Eaton Fire. At a recent distribution event at McKinley School of the Arts in Pasadena, Pasadena Unified leadership welcomed students before volunteers began fitting them with their new shoes.

By Rena Kurlander

The effort is made possible by a $60,000 grant from PCF, designated to assist 2,000 students through fire‑relief initiatives. The first distribution served 1,000 children from McKinley School of the Arts and Eliot Arts Magnet, whose campus was heavily damaged in the Eaton Fire and is now sharing space with McKinley. A second distribution is planned for the spring.

“We’re proud to stand alongside the Pasadena Community Foundation to help restore children’s self-esteem and ability to focus on school by meeting a basic need lost after the Eaton Fire,” said Amy Fass, CEO/Executive Director of Shoes That Fit. “Despite everything this community has endured, we’re committed to helping kids worry less and return to learning and playing with the confidence that comes from a new pair of shoes.”

Jeannine Bogaard, Vice President of Community Impact at PCF, emphasized the importance of the initiative. “After a year marked by disruption and loss, something as simple as a new pair of athletic shoes can make a world of difference for a child. Shoes That Fit is helping young people impacted by the Eaton Fire feel a sense of normalcy — to show up at school feeling like themselves and to fit in with their peers. We are so proud to support this effort through our Eaton Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.”

Shoes That Fit, a national 501(c)(3) based in Claremont, CA, works to address one of the most visible signs of childhood poverty by providing new athletic shoes to children in need. Named a California Nonprofit of the Year, the organization delivered more than 180,000 pairs of shoes across all 50 states last year.

Founded in 1953, the Pasadena Community Foundation supports local philanthropy and helps donors maximize the impact of their charitable giving. Its Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund continues to provide critical support to organizations assisting families in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre as they rebuild.

This donation effort follows another recent collaboration in which Shoes That Fit partnered with the LA Bowl and East West Bank to provide new shoes to more than 400 students at Altadena Arts Magnet School. Players from the Washington Huskies and Boise State Broncos joined volunteers to distribute shoes, with on‑site efforts led by Debra Moton, Head of Sports and Entertainment at Shoes That Fit.

Shoes That Fit and Pasadena Community Foundation officials (Photo – PCF)

Students with new shoes (Photos – PCF)