The magazine recently asked me about the beginnings of the Sock it To Me Sock Drive, which is now 20 years old. I am the retired owner and founder of Baton Rouge Parents Magazine and the “mistress of the socks” for the Sock it To Me Sock Drive. They wanted to know: why socks? Here’s the story.

While in a Baton Rouge emergency room with my son, Blake, waiting to be called back to an examining room, I introduced myself to a couple, who were also waiting. I can still remember their names to this day, Ryan and Samantha. They told me they were homeless and slept behind the Walmart on O’Neal Lane. It was very cold outside that day, and they had come to the emergency room for treatment for a foot ailment. Ryan’s socks were wet, like his shoes. He said he had sores and blisters on his feet. Being able to look into his eyes, I grew more upset by the minute. How could I not help? 

It made me think about whether or not I could make it on the street. Could I find the strength to humble myself and look for help? The couple had no family and only the friends they met in the same situation. Could I make it? I told myself that I would not make it on the streets of Baton Rouge.

At that moment, the thought of offering a simple pair of socks must have been a God thing. There is wisdom in the old saying: “See a need, fill a need,” a quote from Mel Brooks in the movie, The Robots. So, I said, God, show me how. And He did.

Socks are something that most of us never have to think twice about. When you get dressed, you open your drawer (or the clothes dryer in my household) and pull out your comfy, warm, and favorite colored pair of socks. But those who don’t have a home and nowhere to wash their socks can sometimes walk up to 10 miles daily to find just the bare necessities, while sometimes wearing old shoes that are not the correct size and socks that are worn out, dirty, and stiff.

The homeless crisis in our city has escalated to be a more significant issue than when I spoke to the couple in the emergency room years ago. In Louisiana, the number of people without homes or those living on the street is expected to rise to 11 thousand by 2030.

Baton Rouge Parents Magazine is one of the many groups that organize a sock drive across the country, maybe even one of the oldest and longest continually running sock drives. To date, we have collected and distributed over 1 million pairs of socks, thanks to the generosity in our community. I am so proud of Baton Rouge for making a substantial social impact in our city with just one pair of socks at a time. Our mission is to provide warmth and protection to those in need through the sock drives we conduct in the community.

Baton Rouge Parents Magazine, a division of Family Resource Group, went on to create the Family Resource Group Foundation, a nonprofit for the community work we do yearly. The Sock it To Me campaign was one of the first events added, and socks have been collected for 20 years. Some say new socks can be more critical than food since many people experiencing homelessness and are low-income can access soup kitchens and pantries.

Every year, I get so excited with the amount of donated and unbelievably cool socks we collect: athletic crew socks, fuzzy socks, funky socks, science socks, athletic socks, Sasquatch socks, cat socks, bee socks, and space glow-in-the-dark socks.

The core to reaching our mission is through sock drives conducted in the community. These drives can be held at schools, service clubs, church groups, college organizations, or any group that wants to get involved. The vision is to donate new socks that provide warmth and protection on the feet of men, women, and children in need. Socks are among the most needed–but least donated–items at shelters.

Become a part of our story today by conducting a sock drive. The campaign begins in Socktober (October) and runs through the first week of December. The event is rewarding for all who get involved. Sock drives can be organized by anyone, from elementary, middle, and high schools; service clubs; church groups; or college organizations. There are so many fun options, and we can support and coach you along the way. I recently found some new ideas for hosting your own sock drive. Do you love to throw a party? How about organizing a “Socktail Party” at your club meetings, inviting friends, family, and neighbors, and bringing camaraderie by raising a glass and toasting for the socks your group has collected? Or maybe you could coordinate a Sock Hop Dance in the community; this will really get some feet moving!

After the drive, the new socks are collected, then organized and packaged for distribution. They are either handed out directly by our volunteers at places such as homeless shelters, soup kitchens, clinics, etc., or we partner with local organizations to distribute them to the individuals they support. The vision is to put new socks that provide warmth and protection on the feet of men, women, and children who are
in need.

I would like to thank the sponsors, partners, local schools, the homeless shelters that distributed the collected socks, the media for sharing this message to the public, and all the individuals, companies, and local foundations for their donations. I sincerely want to thank the rocking team at the magazine, including Karen McCullen and Teri Hodges, who have spearheaded this project for many years. We could not have done it without you.

Let’s keep this sock drive gig going for another 20 years, because every pair counts. For more information, visit familyresourcegroupinc.com/sockittome.