Socks may not be everyone’s favourite gift, but this year it’s at the top of the list for Kristy Andre and the folks at United Way Bruce Grey.
Their Holiday Sock Drive is a newer initiative, and last year they marched in the Owen Sound parade for the first time, collecting socks on the parade route. This year, as awareness grows, they were able to collect 117 pairs of socks just from the Owen Sound Santa Claus Parade. Andre’s hope is that this generosity and spirit of giving will continue in the Meaford Santa Claus Parade where they will be marching with the Meaford Kinsmen.
Since this is their first year coming to Meaford though, their main focus is gaining awareness for the Holiday Sock Drive and would be happy for even just a single pair of socks. By marching in parades throughout Grey-Bruce, they want to show that United Way exists outside of Owen Sound and is here to serve all the communities in Grey and Bruce Counties.
The Holiday Sock Drive is an extension of the Supportive Outreach Service (SOS) which has a broad spectrum of services from crisis management to addictions care, medical care, and a comprehensive mental health care. In 2023 through the SOS, the team was able to give away 2,260 pairs of socks to those in need.
“This is the Season for giving,” Andre notes, “and some people get left out. They (United Way) are here to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
Donating to the Holiday Sock Drive is an easy and effective way to give this season as there are many who need support in our Meaford community, especially as the winter months descend on us. It is also never to early to instill a spirit of giving in children, so encourage your kids to pick out a fun, warm pair of socks when you’re out shopping and donate them to United Way of Bruce Grey as they march past in the Meaford Santa Claus parade at 5:15 p.m., on December 2.
