JA of Houma Gifts 420 Pairs of Shoes through Santa Sneakers Project

Junior Auxiliary of Houma strives to provide charitable services to benefit the community, and they have done so in big ways! The most recent service project was the Santa Sneakers!

Santa Sneakers is JA of Houma’s largest service project of the year where the organization gifts new shows to local children in need. The club was able to purchase and hand out 420 pairs of shoes and the group described it as a “beautiful day filled with joy, treats, and Christmas fun.”

A number of the shoes were given out at an event where families met Santa, picked up some crafts and meals. The remaining shoes are being delivered to families who could not attend the event through organizations such as CASA, SPARC, Dulac Community Center, and local schools. 

The Bayou Community Foundation kicked started things with a $10,000 grant so they could meet the expanded needs of the project due to Hurricane Ida. They would also like to thank Houma First United Methodist Church, Raising Cane’s #013, Dean Schouest, Buquet Distributing Company, H&D Distributing, Smile Doctors, Texas Roadhouse, and the many people that helped through funding, volunteering, and attending the event. 

Santa Sneakers Chair Michelle Gaither McClain said, “Providing shoes to the children of our community each holiday season is an important and beloved tradition for the Junior Auxiliary of Houma. While they may seem a simple gift, good-quality shoes offer children a strong foundation to grow upon, both physically and mentally. There is nothing simple about that. This year, thanks to a disaster recovery grant from the Bayou Community Foundation, we were able to serve over 420 children—a welcome blessing as our Parish recovers from the devastation of Ida!”