BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – New Orleans Saints defensive lineman and Baton Rouge native Malcolm Roach returned home Saturday to host his 4th annual Kicks 4 Kids Shoe Drive.
It’s an event that provides free shoes to children in the area before school begins.
“I started my senior year of college, and I just did it to get kids some shoes to go back to school in so they could,” Roach said. “Parents don’t have to worry about buying a pair of shoes, things like that. So, the less stress I could take out them, the better.”
In his fourth year of the event, Roach handed out about 300 to 350 pairs of shoes to smiling kids and parents.
“The best part about the day is seeing the smile on their faces when the kids open up and see a man, it’s a pair of shoes I always wanted or parents being like Man, thank you. I don’t know how I going to come through and get the shoes,” Roach said. “Me being able to do this is always a blessing to my heart.”
Roach hopes to expand the event in the coming years. For now, the New Orleans Saints training camp, which begins Wednesday, July 26, is his focus.
