Catherine's Family and Youth Services (CFYS) celebrated the end of the school year by providing nearly 30 Park Heights students with new shoes, gifts and fresh hairstyles.
Valarie Matthews co-founded CFYS 10 years ago to serve families in the Park Heights community, continuing a tradition started by her grandmother.
WATCH: Local nonprofit gives Park Heights students new shoes, fresh looks
"We canvassed and talked to people about what exactly they needed in this community which was access to programming, access to resources and food and we created the organization in honor of our grandmother with things that were near and dear to her heart, but also things that we needs in our community," Matthews said.
Matthews says carrying on her grandmother Catherine Matthews' legacy of helping women and children in need is meaningful, especially when she meets people who knew her grandmother.
"It's a big deal carrying her legacy because I often come in contact with people that actually knew my grandmother. So it's like, oh my gosh, she actually impacted you and then you're able to come and tell me the story," Matthews said.
On Tuesday, CFYS partnered with B-More Sole-Full and Operation Warm to distribute brand new pairs of shoes to the students.
"We realized that a lot of people spend money on shoes, and some of these kids don't have the money, their families don't have the money to afford the Jordans and things like that, but they figured out a way in other families. So instead of discarding them, they give them to us, we, we clean them up and then we give them back to kids," said Eric C. Randall Jr., founder of B-More Sole-Full.
Randall says the joy of giving shoes to children in need is incomparable.
"There's nothing like seeing the kids touch the shoe, put on the shoes, throw their old shoes away, and nothing can replace that feeling, so we'll be partners for the foreseeable future," Randall said.
The event also provided free haircuts for boys and new hairstyles for girls.
CFYS supports the community year-round with services including a food pantry, after-school programs, and job placement assistance for parents.
"We're not just serving a kid, we're serving a whole family and parents often say Miss Valerie, thank you so much, or they're in tears," Matthews said.
Matthews says CFYS is planning additional shoe giveaways for the summer and fall.
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