On Saturday, Dec. 22, District 16 Cranston state Representative Bob Lancia along with his wife Maryann Lancia and Gotta Have Sole’s Lori Lowinger will host the fourth annual Hope for the Holidays benefit to support the Gotta Have Sole Foundation, a local charitable organization which provides new, unused shoes to children in need, nationwide. The event will take place at Panera Bread 400 Chapel View Blvd., from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. and guests are asked to bring a pair of new, unused sneakers, which will be donated to homeless children across the state of Rhode Island.

Gotta Have Sole was started by local resident Nicholas Lowinger when he was a teenager as a service project and has continued to grow and expand in the years since. Lowinger is now a college student and his non-profit organization has received international recognition in years past and has helped children in every state in the nation as well. Each pair of shoes also always includes a card and a hand-written message for the recipient.

“Our community coming together with Representative Lancia and his wife, Maryann as the driving force, is what makes our work thrive,” Lori Lowinger, Nicholas’ mom, said. “Together, we are helping our state’s most vulnerable children take a step in the right direction. We are so grateful for the support of our community.”

In addition to donating shoes, guests can visit with the Lancias and Mrs. Claus and more. There will be two gift baskets created by North Providence resident Robin Giacomini for Gotta Have Sole. Giacomini is friends with Glaser who is an artist, author, and director and is well known for his role as Detective David Starsky on the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch.

“His late father and mine were in the same business; his late father Samuel developed many buildings around RI. Paul is from Massachusetts,” Giacomini said. “He has generously donated his book (chrystallia.com) ‘Chrystallia and The Source of Light,’ to be distributed for charitable concerns to use to raise funds. I take his book and create baskets for organizations supporting children and animals in RI.” Giacomini’s other baskets have supported organizations such as Swim Empowerment with Ray Rickman’s Stages of Freedom, Children’s Wishes RI, and The Warwick Animal Shelter. “Gotta Have Sole is new for me, this will be my first event with them and Representative Lancia,” she said. “I am creating two baskets, one is all Rhode Island-based food products and one is all art supply products for a Creativity Basket. Both have brightly decorated filling useful baskets or containers.” Giacomini has purchased all of the supplies for the baskets for Saturday’s event, as she does for each of the baskets she creates for organizations she supports.

“The organizations choose how to manage their fundraising activity with them, be it a raffle or silent auction or door prizes,” she said.

On Saturday, Giacomini’s two baskets will be up for bidding. All funds raised will benefit the Gotta Have Sole Foundation.