Operation Shoestring continues working for community children and families

Since 1968, Operation Shoestring has provided social programs uplifting children and families.

Operation Shoestring’s executive director Robert Langford said, “The family needs community resources for children to thrive and fully develop regardless of where they live.” 

Operation Shoestring programming evolved amid the civil rights struggles of the day. It became paramount after the shooting of James Meredith during his March Against Fear that children in Jackson needed a safe place to play in their neighborhoods. The collective works of civic, social, and faith-based organizations such as the NAACP and Rev. Russell Gilbert of Wells Memorial United Methodist Church culminated in bipartisan efforts to support struggling neighborhood residents that eventually birthed Operation Shoestring focused on Bailey Avenue with its headquarters in the basement of Wells Church.

Initially, Operations Shoestring served the needs of the disadvantaged families of Central Jackson, which were the culmination of systemic inequities, by providing a food pantry, free medical clinics, and daycare. These program initiatives evolved into nationally acclaimed and recognized summer school and after-school programs to support working families; its flagship remains in Jackson on Bailey Avenue.

Under Langford’s exemplary stewardship and leadership since 1977, Operation Shoestring has continued to create and develop innovative programs with a holistic approach addressing the needs of the children attending Galloway and Walton elementary schools. 

Langford said: “We serve approximately 80-90 children per day through daycare and after-school programs. Additionally, we partner and contract with other organizations to provide family support services and activities such as physical exercise, nutrition classes, bingo and movie nights, and parent fellowship opportunities that we feel uplift the community. We also offer literacy, STEM, general academics, and a Reading Clinic once known as the Barksdale Reading Institute Legacy Program. A staff of 20 full-time employees works with 20-25 part-time contractors and volunteers to carry out many of our core and support services and activities onsite and offsite.”

All programs and services provided by Operation Shoestring are free to program participants. According to Langford, “In the future, we plan to expand our services to older kids that are rising 6th and 7th graders in our summer program with the continued support and involvement of community partners that include Millsaps College, Mississippi Reading Clinic, Southern Jewish Life Institute, and civic groups such as 100 Black Women, nonprofits, and faith-based organizations. Plans are to wrap up a strategic plan that addresses healthcare and housing and bring more resources to communities and children. We will continue to listen to our community to meet the needs of families that we serve.” 

When asked why he has made Operation Shoestring his life’s work, Langford said, “I was born and raised in Jackson by parents who were transplants from Virginia and South Carolina who moved to Jackson back in the 1950s and began working as a French teacher and physician in the community. My parents instilled in me and my sister the value of serving the community in which you live. I have always thought that community service is what makes me a whole person. I want my work to help create wholeness in the world…where we respect each other as human beings. I think it’s in my DNA to serve others as my parents did within the community where I live. I hope to continue to set an example for children and others. I’m grateful that my parents were broad thinkers and that they passed that way of thinking on to me in my personal and professional life.” 

Operation Shoestring is located at 1711 Bailey Avenue in Jackson, Mississippi 39203. To find out more regarding services and activities, call 601-353-6336. Visit www.operationshoestring.org or email info@operationshoestring.org.