From left, Lt. Susan Dalberg, a corps officer with The Salvation Army, distributes new shoes to Chasidy Ray, 9, as her mother, Jennifer Turner, and sisters Belle Ray, 7, and Krystal Turner, 14, inspect their new kicks Tuesday at The Salvation Army, 946 N.H. Forty Lawrence youths received shoes from local churches in the first year of the shoe program. School starts today in Lawrence for first- through sixth-graders and Thursday for seventh- through 12th-graders.

Thanks to some old-fashioned generosity, some Lawrence youths don’t have to go back to school this year with old, worn-out shoes.

Forty children showed up on Tuesday at The Salvation Army, 946 N.H., to collect the shoes they signed up to receive last month. Among them were Jennifer Turner’s three daughters, ages 14, 9 and 7.

“It really didn’t matter what kind of shoes they got as long as they got some shoes,” Turner said.

Most of the shoes were tennis shoes, said Donnie Hornberger, The Salvation Army’s director of community relations. The shoe giveaway was organized by the Army’s Women’s Auxiliary. Last month parents signed up their children for the giveaway after proving they met certain low-income requirements, Hornberger said.

The auxiliary solicited donations to buy the shoes and then went on a shopping trip.

“They were brand-name shoes, something we hope will last them through the school year,” Hornberger said. “We were lucky to have a few area churches donate some money.”

It was the auxiliary’s first shoe giveaway. The auxiliary used to have an annual spring clothing drive. It outfitted children at Easter time.

“We found over the last few years the need for that was dwindling,” Hornberger said. “Our auxiliary group decided to focus its efforts in another direction and came up with this idea. They hope the program grows as years go on so we’re able to provide more kids some new shoes.”