Church donates shoes to Denmark Elementary students

DENMARK, Tenn. — Hundreds of students at one elementary school will head back to class wearing a new pair of shoes.

The giving spirit came a little early this year for those at Denmark Elementary School as all 420 students lace up a new pair of shoes.

“We want to give back to the community that’s given to us,” Jackson First Assembly Pastor Garry Martin said. “That’s what we’re supposed to do, according to scripture.”

Martin says the church paired with an anonymous donor to adopt the elementary school.

A pair of shoes and a dental pack was handed out to each student as a way to give back and reach out to the small community.

“Everyone needs a pair of shoes,” Martin said. “There’s not enough money to go around sometimes in a lot of families.”

Principal Kimberly Quinn says the gesture shows students there are people who care about them and want them to succeed.

“They are accustomed to myself and teachers doing things to help them learn, but seeing that community impact may inspire them to do the same thing for kids when they become older,” she said.

It’s an act of community support that will forever have an impact.

“You never know the impact you might have on a child,” Quinn said. “This is an event I will hear about for some time to come, I know.”

Students were also treated to a magic show and demonstrations by the Jackson Police Department K-9 Unit.