Hundreds of Orange County elementary schoolers gifted new shoes

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Every student at Union Park Elementary School got a new pair of shoes on Friday.

For some of them, it was the first new pair of shoes they’ve had in years, for others it was their first brand-new pair of shoes ever.

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The school received the shoes after a school nurse applied to a program through FedEx Cares in partnership with Operation Warm, a national nonprofit that manufactures brand-new, high-quality coats and shoes for children in need.

“We have a belief that we don’t just register students, we enrolled families. So when we do events like this, it’s not just something in isolation,” Principal Ashlynn Ramirez said.

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Mother Nashanta Price said the donation helps level the playing field at the school.

“It’s making them all equal, which is a great thing,” she said. “You can’t tell which one didn’t have shoes compared to the one that has six pairs.”

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