Fred Jordan Mission, Footlocker Gives Away 5K Shoes, School Supplies To Needy Children

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — More than 5,000 underprivileged children received brand new shoes, clothing and school supplies Thursday thanks to a partnership between Foot Locker and the Fred Jordan Mission.

Children and their families started lining up at 5 a.m. outside of the Fred Jordan Mission, 445 Towne Avenue, on Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.

The Back-To-School Giveaway, which has been an annual event for the past 24 years, began at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m.

More than 60 Foot Locker associates were on-hand to ensure that each child is custom-fit with the perfect shoes. Children also got a new pair of socks.

"Over the 24 years, it's been in excess, a little over 100,000 pairs of shoes that we've been able to put on the feet of kids here in the community of Los Angeles," Javier Avila of Footlocker said.

The streets of Skid Row were also transformed into a giant hair salon, providing free haircuts for the children, donated by Paul Mitchell The School volunteers.

In-N-Out Burger  served meals to all who attended.

The Fred Jordan Mission is open 365 days a year and feeds approximately 1,000 people daily.