Angel Feet Ministry, which started back in 2013 at Juniata United Methodist Church, gave out their 5000th pair of shoes on Saturday.

“It’s an accomplishment of generosity of the church, of this church, and other churches in the community, and others who have assisted us in their donations to make this happen for the children locally,” Dee Martin-Spallone, director of Angel Feet Ministry, said.

While her organization’s name came from a contest, Martin-Spallone said it has a special meaning to her.

“Angel feet was perfect for it because all children are angels to me, as far as I can image. They’re all sweethearts, and they need to be treated as such,” she said.

Any child that comes in gets a brand new pair of shoes, socks, and a book. Martin-Spallone said the look on the childrens’ faces when they walk out with their sneakers is priceless.

“It’s a wonderful thing to feel that they can come in and actually choose from the array of sneaker we do have, the shoes that’ll fit their feet,” she said. 

Martin-Spallone added hitting this goal is proof of how important the Angel Feet Ministry is to the community.