The King’s Fork High School and Nansemond River High School boys’ basketball teams will once again use the occasion of their cross-city showdown at King’s Fork on Friday to support an organization called Samaritan’s Feet and its cause.

The organization’s website states, “Samaritan’s Feet shares hope with children in the U.S. and around the world by washing their feet, giving them a new pair of shoes, and helping them believe that their dreams can come true. We at Samaritan’s Feet believe that a new pair of shoes can be a tangible foundation of hope to a person in need.”

Bulldogs coach Josh Worrell noted King’s Fork and Nansemond River did their first Barefoot for Basketball game last year, and it was a big success.

Statistics were shared to help highlight the importance of a group like Samaritan’s Feet.

“We refuse to accept the fact that the over 2.2 billion people living in poverty are hungry, don’t have access to healthcare and can’t afford education and basic articles of clothing and shoes,” the organization’s website states. “Over 1.5 billion people are infected with diseases that are transmitted through contaminated soil. A new study showed that one in three children experience homelessness in the United States. It’s also reported that shoes and socks are in the ‘Top 10 Items Needed’ by students in school.”

Worrell said at the end of each quarter played last year, the cheerleaders took shoeboxes and went into the stands, collecting money from spectators willing to donate.

“We raised between $350 and $400 that one night for that cause,” Worrell said, adding that at least eight pairs of shoes were donated, as well.

All of those opportunities will exist again for spectators on Friday when the Bulldogs host the Warriors in a game scheduled to tip off at 7:15 p.m.

Worrell said he got the idea for supporting Samaritan’s Feet after seeing Old Dominion University men’s basketball coach Jeff Jones doing so.

After reflecting on the importance of the cause, “I contacted the organization, and they’ve been very helpful and very willing to get as many people on board as possible,” Worrell said. “This year, I knew it was something I wanted to do again.”

Like last year, coaches from both teams will bring awareness to the issue throughout the game in a unique way.

“Right before the game, the coaches of each team take their shoes off and place them on the scorer’s table and coach barefoot the remainder of the game,” Worrell said.

The cost for admission to the game will be the standard ticket prices of $6 for spectators ages 12 and up and $4 for children ages 5 to 11.