By Thereasa Rasmussen
On Wednesday, November 9th all students at Park Intermediate School and Pioneer Elementary School received brand new winter boots and socks from Optum Idaho. Optum partnered up with D&B Supply, North 40 Outfitters and CAL Ranch to provide ten schools in Idaho with enough boots and socks for each student in those schools. Weiser’s Park and Pioneer schools were two of the schools selected by the Idaho State Department of Education to receive the boots and socks.
Optum Idaho Executive Director, Georganne Benjamin shared, “Optum’s ‘Give Cold Feet the Boot’ efforts allow for a community partnership to help ensure we are working together on addressing basic needs for some of our most vulnerable Idahoans-children. By assisting parents or guardians by providing an essential need, like warm boots and socks in the winter, families can focus on other needs and better assist their students with learning priorities. ‘Give Cold Feet the Boot’ is one step towards a better learning environment and, hopefully, the long-term success of Idaho students.”
Volunteers helped distribute the boots and socks to students at Park and Pioneer schools Wednesday. Park Intermediate School Principal Brooke Winston stated, “We finished with 216 students in 75 minutes!” Pioneer School reported that they were able to hand out boots for 416 students. Five students were not in attendance Wednesday, but Optum will be sending those five who were absent boots in their sizes.
