Shoes are one of those everyday items that most people take for granted.

They’re slipped on in the morning, kicked off at night and when they wear out or go out of style, a new pair is bought.

But in Uganda, where shoes are scarce, they can prevent serious infections, protect against deformities and even help provide jobs.

A group of folks got together Sunday afternoon in the Oxford Village Community Room to help send vital shoe components to the East African nation, which is one of the poorest countries in the world.

A shoe-cutting party was held for Sole Hope, a mission that provides closed-toe shoes for African children plagued by jiggers, crippling parasites also known as sand fleas.

“I would love to go over there and serve. I’ve always wanted to go on a mission trip,” said Oxford resident Bridget Trbovich, one of the party’s organizers and a mother of three.

“But the time isn’t right for me right now, so I figured this was the next best thing.”

Jiggers are a serious health threat, according to www.solehope.org, because the females burrow into bare feet and lay eggs, creating wounds prone to serious infections and disease. An infestation can lead to everything from severe inflammation and ulceration of the skin to tetanus, gangrene, loss of limbs, permanent deformity and even death in the worst cases.

Children are the most commonly affected.

“The videos (of kids infested with jiggers) were very difficult to watch,” Trbovich said. “It really touched me. My children will never know what it’s like to not have shoes and have to walk on dirt. I wanted to do something about it.”

Organizing the shoe-cutting party with Trbovich were Oxford residents Maria Cass, Katy Bauman, Stephanie Miconi and Maria Biggie as well as Monica Kuhn and Renee Maggi, both of Waterford.

For two hours, adults and kids traced patterns on old pairs of jeans and empty plastic jugs, then cut them into pieces, so they can be repurposed as various shoe parts.

“I think it’s a great cause and it’s easy to do,” said Kristin McDonough, of Oxford.

Oxford residents Nora Krol and Kim Schneider agreed.

“When you think about the kids who can (contract) debilitating diseases just because they don’t have shoes – how hard is it for us to take an extra pair of jeans and help them out,” Krol said.

“It’s just a few minutes out of my life” to improve their lives “a ton,” Schneider said.

The shoe parts were packaged into 68 kits.

“And I have more coming this week,” Trbovich noted.

The parts will all be shipped to Uganda where they will be assembled into footwear by African people employed by Sole Hope.

In addition to providing shoes and jobs, Sole Hope conducts foot-washing and jigger-removal clinics.