This article was written by David Bjorkgren. It was originally published on November 10, 2020 by MontcoToday.
New socks may not always be first on our holiday gift list, but it can make all the difference in the life of a person who is homeless, especially as the weather turns colder.
New socks rarely show up amongst the used clothing that is donated by charities.
Yet clean socks can prevent extensive foot problems for the homeless.
The Lincoln Center for Family and Youth in Audubon is once again partnering with “The Joy of Sox” organization to collect new socks for the homeless in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Socks of all sizes for men, women or children (preferably dark colors), are being collected through Nov. 24.
The collection is for new socks only. Gently used socks cannot be accepted.
The “Joy of Sox” was started by Tom Costello, Jr. and his wife after they heard from a podiatrist about the foot problems the homeless run into for a lack of clean socks.
Tom was volunteering at a homeless shelter soup kitchen in Germantown one Christmas and decided to offer a pair of new socks to each person in line. One woman said to him, “You know, no one has ever given me a pair of socks before,” and started to cry.
Tom described it as his epiphany moment that led to him starting “The Joy of Sox.” Today, they distribute new socks to homeless shelters, cafeterias and clinics and to organizations that work with the homeless.
Click here to find out more about The Joy of Sox.
In addition to the sock drive, The Lincoln Center is also collecting food this November for Philabundance.
“Throughout the nation, about 12 percent of people are food insecure—lacking enough food in a year to lead a healthy life,” according to the Philabundance website.
In Philadelphia, that figure is closer to 21 percent, and in North Philadelphia, it’s 30 percent.
Last year, students and staff at The Lincoln Center collected over 100 pounds of food over the month of November. The food was delivered by the senior class of The Lincoln Center Leadership Academy to Philabundance headquarters in Philadelphia.
The Lincoln Center is once again encouraging people to make a food donation.
Click here to find out more about making a donation to Philabundance.