Ann Parish Elementary has received a generous donation of $800 worth of socks and underwear and more than $4,800 dollars in shoes to helps students in need.
The donations are from the Battle Ready Health and Fitness Program, which provides its members with a counselor, dietician, and support to get healthy. This year, the group's conference was in Los Lunas. 
The group's founder and executive director, Francie Nordin, reached out to Ann Parish Elementary and asked APE Counselor Phillip James how they could help students.
"I told the organizers that we have students who come to school with shoes that don't fit," explained Mr. James. "Whether it's clothes, school supplies, or whatever, I always find a way. The school nurse and I even have a washer and dryer handy to wash the clothes for some students," he exclaimed.
Members of the group donated brand new packages of socks and underwear, as well as nearly $5,000 in shoes from The Shoe That Grows, which provides shoes that grow with a child up to five sizes. Any time the school needs shoes for a student, they order them online. The Battle Ready Health and Fitness Program has a goal of donating 200 pairs of shoes to APE students. One member of the group also donated dozens of homemade crocheted hearts for the students.
For more information or to donate, visit Because International online. For Francie Nordin this is just the beginning of how she would like to help APE.
"We want to continue to help the students of Ann Parish Elementary," Ms. Nordin said. "We won't stop here."