Thanks to the generosity of the Keith Brooking Foundation and some help from family-owned Smith and Davis, 160 elementary school students from Atlanta have new shoes for the holidays.

The Atlanta Falcons linebacker partnered with Smith and Davis to get the kids fitted and on the way with shoes of their choosing last week. The students were from Margaret Fain Elementary School, and they impressed Smith and Davis owner Tony Davis.

Not one of the kids caused any problems, Davis said. And it wasn’t just because they were satisfied customers, he indicated.

“They were well-disciplined,” Davis said. “Even the ones who were a little picky about their shoes were very nice. ... It just shows you those teachers are doing quite a job.”

The teachers are also getting the job done in the classroom. The school not only consistently meets federal education standards but also was awarded the bronze medal this year from the governor’s recognition program.

That’s despite the fact that 98 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, an indicator of how economically impoverished the school’s community is.

Smith and Davis provided the shoes at cost and made sure there was plenty of staff on hand to handle the waves of students as they quietly entered the store, perused the stock and tried on their new kicks.

Because he was stuck in team meetings Brooking was unable to attend despite his best efforts, Davis said. But that didn’t stop the children from thanking him.

After posing for a group picture with their new kicks the football star was put on speakerphone. They shouted a loud “Thank You!” in unison.

Davis said the company, which has been serving the public on Ga. Highway 54 between Fayetteville and Peachtree City since 1965, has been working with the Brooking Foundation on other projects, particularly as it serves foster children in Fayette and Coweta county. As a young high school football player, Brooking’s parents took him to Smith and Davis to buy his football shoes.

In addition to being a backbone of the Falcon’s defense, Brooking has become a pillar of the community, as the delighted faces on the students clearly showed when they boxed up their new shoes to check out.

“We were glad to be a part of it,” Davis said.