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For kids used to hand-me-downs, as the homeless kids who visit facilities of the InnVision Shelter Network certainly are, this holiday brings them something new for a change: shoes.

Girl Scout troops from South San Mateo County, including girls from Atherton, Woodside, Portola Valley and Menlo Park, used the funds gathered from nut and cookie sales to buy the children new shoes of the correct size and in consideration of the kids' preferences in terms of style and color, according to a statement from Burlingame-based InnVision Shelter Network.

About 500 Girl Scouts from 31 troops are wrapping the new shoes for each of more than 300 homeless children living in InnVision transitional shelters for homeless families, the statement said. The wrapped shoes are to be delivered to the shelters by Dec. 20.

"Shopping for shoes is an excellent tie-in to several Girl Scout Badges," Clara Morse, a Portola Valley cadette scout, said in the statement. "But the real reason we do this is because these kids need shoes that fit them to wear to school."

"We are so grateful for the Girl Scouts' time and generosity to support our family," InnVision CEO Karae M. Lisle said in the statement. "For these children, who mostly wear donated clothes and hand-me-downs, the gift of brand new, personally-selected shoes is priceless."

The scouts also prepared "comfort kits" for homeless adults, spokeswoman Renee Courington told the Almanac. "I just dropped of 80 pairs of shoes -- parents are as happy as the kids!" Ms. Courington wrote in a Dec. 18 email.

They also created comfort kits for homeless adults

— Dave Boyce

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