Foot Locker & Fred Jordan Mission Partner Together To Provide 5,000 Impoverished Children On Skid Row With New Free Shoes, Clothes & Backpacks At America's Largest 24th Annual Back-to-School Bash - - Thursday, October 4, 2012

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of a unique partnership with Foot Locker and other corporations as well as generous individuals, this year's 24th Annual Back-to-School Giveaway will provide each child with brand new athletic shoes, socks, clothing, backpacks, school supplies, hair styling and hot burgers. The Annual Giveaway will be held at the Fred Jordan Missions located at 445 Towne Avenue, on Thursday, October 4th, beginning at 9:00am.

Skid Row's Towne Avenue in downtown Los Angeles will be transformed into a huge Foot Locker store. More than 60 Foot Locker associates will be on-hand to ensure that each child is custom-fit with the perfect sized shoes. For many of these inner-city boys and girls, this will be their first pair of new shoes. Foot Locker will donate athletic shoes and socks to outfit more than 5,000 children.

"Foot Locker is proud to once again join together with the Fred Jordan Mission to donate the much needed shoes and socks for the children in the community," said Jake Jacobs, President and CEO of Foot Locker, U.S. "As a part of our Company's core values, we are committed to serving the community, and our associates are excited to be a part of this important back-to-school program."

Nearly 300 volunteers will join the team of Foot Locker associates to distribute the donated items to the children from the inner-city area and from around the Southland. These children and families know they can count on Fred Jordan Missions and Foot Locker to help provide these critical school supplies.

"Poverty has increased nationwide, and this event has never been more needed than today," said Willie Jordan, President of Fred Jordan Missions. "Children, students and families look forward all year long to this special day. I was born at the end of the Great Depression, and I still remember going to school one day without shoes, in spite of the fact that both my parents worked. I will never forget the embarrassment, humiliation and shame I felt for not having shoes to wear. When I grew up, I determined that I would dedicate my life to help children avoid that same humiliation, and give them the basic tools they need to succeed in life. I am deeply grateful to Foot Locker for their 24 years of partnership with the Mission, sending well over 105,000 impoverished American children back to school with new athletic shoes and socks! Thank you, Foot Locker, for truly caring about the communities you serve, and for sharing our goal to equip poor children for academic success by sending them back to school with dignity, positive self-esteem – and some pretty cool, new shoes."

Some companies and groups joining Foot Locker with charitable contributions include: In-N-Out Burger; Greg Penske, Longo Toyota; Toyota Easy Match; Los Angeles International Airport Customs and Border Protection; Paul Mitchell Schools; Edgewood Press; Barbara Walden; Shelter Partnership; Vera R. Campbell, Knit Works; John Paul Mitchell Hair Care; Mark Chow, A Foundation for Kids; Reo Backpacks; G&M Oil Company, Inc; College of the Canyons; Johnson Controls; All Saints Episcopal Church, Beverly Hills; Calvary Chapel Christian School Downey; CBRE I Asset Services; Bank of America; Sam's Club; Actuations Systems; Pasadena Christian School; Topa Insurance Group; Friendship Baptist Church, Pasadena and Calvary Chapel Rancho Cucamonga.

However, in all the excitement of this beautiful day for the children, there is a real emergency here on Skid Row! Donations to the Mission from individual donors have dropped by nearly 40% in the past year - - while at the same time, more struggling families have turned to the Mission for help.

The Mission serves hungry, impoverished families and children every day of the year. The Mission is in urgent need of food, clothing, blankets and baby products to care for the tiniest victims of this national recession - - the children.

The Mission's Thanksgiving and Christmas outreaches for inner city families are legendary, with more than 60,000 impoverished families and children looking to the Mission for their only holiday celebrations. The Mission is asking businesses, churches, groups and individuals of good will to make charitable donations of food, new clothes, new toys, diapers and blankets for cold winter nights. Cash donations are also welcome - - and tax-deductible.

L.A. County leads the U.S. in a recent hunger study, with more than 1.7 million Los Angeles County residents struggling with hunger, more than in any other county in America. One in five children in Los Angeles goes to bed hungry. If viewers or readers are able to help, they can call
  PLEASE PHONE: 1-626-915-1981 to donate.
  DONATE ONLINE: www.fjm.org
  PO BOX 12345, Covina, CA 91722
  Major Credit Cards gratefully accepted. Donations are tax-deductible.

The Fred Jordan Missions, open 365 days a year since 1944, feeds hundreds of hungry people and provides assistance to impoverished individuals and families. The Mission is a non-profit, faith-based, educational and relief organization that focuses on education, job training, and self-reliance.

Foot Locker, Inc. Foot Locker, Inc., operates approximately 3,350 athletic specialty retail stores in 23 countries in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Through its Foot Locker, Footaction, Lady Foot Locker, Kids Foot Locker, Champs Sports, and CCS retail stores, as well as its direct-to-customer channel footlocker.com, Eastbay, and CCS.com, the company is the leading provider of athletic footwear and apparel.

SOURCE Fred Jordan Missions