By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – When Kingwood Christian School Bible teacher Stephanie Cochran saw how the school’s students reacted during the first few days of the KCS shoe drive last month, she knew it was going to be successful.

In February, Cochran set the theme of “Walk a Mile in my Shoes” for the KCS middle school’s Kindness week, challenging students to donate gently used shoes to provide to those who may not be able to afford to purchase them.

“So often, we judge others based off of their attitude, not realizing what they are going through. In an effort to put this to practice, I decided to do a shoe drive to collect gently used shoes for those less fortunate,” Cochran said. “In one week, our students brought in 300 pairs of shoes. Needless to say, I was blown away.”

Seeing the middle schoolers’ support of the shoe drive, Cochran contacted Missions in Motion International Ministries, which distributes the shoes to those in need. The ministry challenged the school to extend the drive from one week to two months in an effort to collect 2,500 pairs of donated shoes.

“After talking with (KCS Headmaster) Mrs. (Ruth) Gray, we decided that we would take this challenge as a school,” Cochran said. “The last day to bring in shoes was May 1, and as of Friday, April 26, we were 75 pair away from meeting our goal of 2,500 pair.”

The school reached out to family members, friends and the community to ask for shoe donations, and on May 1, Kingwood had collected 2,875 pairs of shoes to provide to Missions in Motion.

“I am amazed at the love and support of this community and of this school for those less fortunate. We will never fully know the impact this has made on lives all over the world but it has been a great way to the end the being the (school year) hands and feet of Christ,” Cochran said. “I am so proud to be not only a teacher but also a parent of such an amazing school who not only teaches our children what they need to know to be successful in the classroom but also teaches them to love others and ‘Feed the Need.’”