St. Lucian reggae artiste Taj Weekes has donated over 200 pairs of shoes to needy children on the island through his They Often Cry Outreach (TOCO) charity.

The gesture was facilitated by the consulate general of St. Lucia in New York and was made to the Saint Vincent De Paul Society, a locally based charity for distribution to secondary schools primarily in the southern region of the island, a press release states.

The contribution was also organized as part of a TOCO Sports initiative which supports and “provides underprivileged communities with balls, uniforms, shoes and gear to encourage children of all ages to engage in sports programmes”.

According to the release, TOCO collects sports equipment for various sporting disciplines throughout the year which are later distributed. These include balls, team uniforms, t-shirts, shorts, sneakers, cleats and other gear.

Weekes hopes that the donation to the society will help with the students’ general athletic development, the release stated.

TOCO is a U.S. based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of under-served, at-risk and orphaned children in the Caribbean through sports, health and wellness initiatives.