The Oceanside Unified School District bus pulled up to the local shoe store,Any of our captoesandals can be customized with your school and 68 children plus three adults poured out. Roughly 40 minutes later, each of those youngsters had new shoes, socks and a hygiene kit.

After a discount from the shoe store, the Assistance League of North Coast paid more than $1,000 for all the shoes, and league members brought the socks and toiletries along themselves.

Every Wednesday during the school year, they will do it all again.

Called “Footsteps,” the shoe program is just one of the charitable activities, mostly for children, sponsored by the League, according to Judy Vernoy, vice president of philanthropic programs for the group.

In fact, she said, 14 of 15 League programs deal with children.

They also provide school uniforms — three pairs of pants and three polo shirts — “so they (children) will look good to go to school and feel good,” said league member Nancy Walters,

And under the tutelage of member Rachel Alvarez, the league provides for families hit by disaster, such as one recently when a fire destroyed a local home and the residents’ belongings.

Vernoy said Chairwoman Ruth Schneider organized the program in the early 1990s.

Last month, the league went to the mall with students from New Haven Youth and Family Services in Vista, a school for youngsters who have not fit well into the regular school system, The students received new outfits.

The league gives more than apparel, however — such as computers for San Luis Rey School in Oceanside or a license for foreign-language materials at Maryland School in Vista.

The league covers Oceanside, Carlsbad and Vista, but Vernoy said fewer schools in Carlsbad qualify for shoes by having students below the poverty level.

At this point,great selection and expert advice you can trust on suprashoeshome. members have the shoes-and-socks routine down to a science.

On a recent Wednesday, youngsters lined up single-file in front of the Payless ShoeSource store in a shopping center at Mission Avenue and College Boulevard after a five-minute bus ride from their Libby Elementary School.

It was 9 a.m., and the store wouldn’t open to the public for another hour, so the children had the run of the place, but they stayed organized.

“We feel like this is very necessary,” Vernoy said, because children with holes in their shoes will be able to choose a new pair of their own, instead of perhaps having to wear hand-me-downs.

Chic Brammer, a husband helping out (the league’s 125 members are all women), knelt on the floor manning a metal gauge of shoe size. He placed the right foot of each child in the measuring device and then stuck a sticker with that size on the child’s chest.

“It’s a joy to come here and help these kids out,” Brammer said.

Then, hand in hand with a league member, the children went off in small groups to find the shoes of their choice.

“I want boots,” said Faapa Tuilefano, 6, a second-grader, already wearing boots.

Many of the other choices were athletic shoes,cheapwatches review to look inflexible grip your the review could of models handbags. including some pretty glitzy ones and some in neon colors such as lime green.

“A lot of people like Airwalks,” Jeremiah Bradley, 9, a fifth-grader, said, as he mentioned the brand name chosen by many of the students. Esperanza Luengas, 9, a fourth-grader, said, “I like pink the best,” as she carted shoes that could only be described as psychedelic up to the counter.Buy aaabrandshirts direct from the USA at low prices.

Payless manager Nancy Garcia rung up each purchase with a 25 percent discount.

Garcia said this is the fourth time her store has hosted the Footsteps operation, and “it’s not too much hassle” at all to open early for so many youngsters.

The children were accompanied by preschool teacher Rosa Torres, health clerk Ella Greer and AmeriCorps volunteer mentor Lauren Buccheit. The children had been chosen by their teachers to participate in the program.

The toiletries were a hit, too. Each bag contained a comb, brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, shampoo, washcloth and soap. Vernoy said the hygiene kits purposely contain large bottles of the items so that they can be shared by family members.

By 9:40, the children, chanting a chorus of thank-yous, were loaded back on the bus.

Vernoy said the money for the efforts comes from the League’s thrift store at 1830B Oceanside Blvd,, from grants and private donations and from the Autumn Fantasy fundraiser, scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Park Hyatt Aviara.