Sandia has a decades-long tradition of making sure New Mexico children have new shoes.
Amanda Hawkins, a Sandia quality engineer, will be the first to tell you just how meaningful small gestures of kindness and philanthropy can be, especially for a child.
“I was one of the kids in Albuquerque who received free shoes from places like Sandia,” Amanda said at a 2023 event, sharing her journey to become the first in her family to earn a college degree. Her voice breaking as she fought back tears, she continued, “It’s just so important to give back to our communities. It makes a huge difference.”
According to the Albuquerque Public School Clothing Bank, one in four New Mexico children is currently living in poverty. Often, this means families like Amanda’s must prioritize basic living expenses over new clothing and shoes, which are the most visible signs of living in poverty.
Ill-fitting shoes for children can cause a variety of issues, from blisters and ingrown toenails to foot deformities and nerve damage. Additionally, shoes in poor condition fail to protect kids from the elements and, sadly, can make them easy targets for bullying.
In 1956, two Sandia scientists decided to buy new shoes for local children instead of buying each other holiday gifts, and a tradition of giving was born. Since then, Sandia has partnered with various organizations and businesses to host shoe drives to ensure New Mexico children have the shoes they need.
For the last five years, Sandia has organized the Hearts & Soles Shoes for Kids Donation Drive in partnership with the Albuquerque Public Schools Clothing Bank.
In 2024, the Labs raised $20,000, and they hope to do it again this year.
“I love the long history of Sandia’s shoe drive and how this small act of kindness between two Sandians, decades ago, has evolved into an annual chance to provide hundreds of kids new shoes,” Community Relations specialist Katrina Wagner said.
The 2025 campaign, recognized as a “unique way to celebrate Valentine’s Day,” kicks off on February 3 and runs until February 14. To participate, Sandia employees can donate money, which will go to the Albuquerque Public Schools Clothing Bank to help provide students with vouchers to Big 5 Sporting Goods stores so they can pick the shoes they want.
Amanda still remembers the first pair of shoes she got to pick out herself.
“They were flat high-top leather booties, and they had these flower cutouts with metal grommets,” Amanda said.
She had seen them weeks earlier in a back-to-school catalog. She circled them and made a little wish that maybe someday they would be hers, assuming it was a long shot. But it wasn’t.
“I was in first grade when a group of us was pulled out of class and taken to Payless to get new shoes,” Amanda said. “And there they were. It was the first time I got the exact shoes I wanted. Brand-new shoes in their brand-new box — I’ll never forget how those shoes made me feel.”