HARRISBURG, February 1, 2011 -- State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Delaware/Montgomery) today kicked off a sock drive for the homeless at his Harrisburg office and announced plans to offer a resolution designating February 14 as “National Socks for the Homeless Day”.
The resolution creating “National Socks for the Homeless Day” encourages Pennsylvania residents to donate to organizations that provide socks for the homeless and honors local non-profit The Joy of Sox for its contributions to the community. The Joy of Sox accepts and manages donations from across the United States to accomplish its mission to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless and the medical problems associated with being homeless and sockless.
“There are more than 15,000 homeless Pennsylvanians who have neither a roof over their heads or socks on their feet, which are two of the most basic essentials that every person should have access to,” Leach said. “Though most of us can’t donate houses to the homeless, nearly all of us can spare a pair of socks. Something so small can make a huge difference in a person’s health and well-being, and I encourage all Pennsylvanians to honor ‘National Socks for the Homeless Day’ by giving the simple gift of socks to those in need.”
Leach noted that clothing donations to the homeless rarely include socks; and walking barefoot or wearing shoes without socks can lead to problems like fungal and bacterial infection, frostbite, blisters, ulcer formations or loss of limb and amputation. Additionally, he added that socks help protect feet from bacteria present inside of previously worn shoes.
Leach added that those who cannot make it to Harrisburg to contribute to the sock drive can drop off socks at his King of Prussia office. He also encouraged Pennsylvanians to visit The Joy of Sox website to learn about other ways to help the homeless community.
he organization said it is looking for volunteers to help repackage collected socks and assist with their distribution at various soup kitchens in the Philadelphia area, as well as monetary donations that can be made via the group’s Web site.
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