London Sock Company Annual Sock Amnesty 2019
The London Sock Company teams up with charity Crisis to donate socks to the homeless
It is difficult for most of us to imagine a Christmas alone on the streets, isolated from any friends and family, struggling to stay warm. But this is the reality for too many. This year, over 24,000 people in the UK faced a homeless Christmas. One-quarter of them were in London.
The London Sock Company’s annual sock Amnesty aims to spread some warmth and positivity during the winter season by donating thousands of pairs of warm socks to the homeless in partnership with charity Crisis.
“Socks are probably the most important item of clothing we receive and are able to provide,” Alan at Crisis told LSC at the charity’s distribution centre in Dagenham, when members of the LSC team were helping sort through donations. “We take for granted that we are able to wash our socks every day. A lot of our guests are not able to do this, so their socks get dirty, unhygienic and damp. This is not only uncomfortable, but it can also affect people’s foot health and lead to other serious problems.”
Working with our manufacturer, LSC had thousands of pairs of extra-warm, comfortable and durable socks made especially for Crisis to distribute to the homeless guests at their day centres. Last year, London Sock Company was able to donate 6,000 pairs. This year, we have already donated 7,000 pairs. With up to 150 people potentially receiving clothes from a day centre daily, including several pairs of socks, it will take just one week to distribute 7,000 pairs. That is why we need your help to donate even more socks!
Send us your socks and we can donate even more pairs to homeless feet. If you any unworn pairs, we’ll donate them straight away. Have some old favourites that are past their sell-by-date? We will recycle them.
Whether you received any socks for Christmas that aren’t up your street or are looking to clear out your sock drawer to make space for some new pairs, donate them to us and together we can make a difference.
We know that this really is only a drop in the ocean when it comes to helping the huge issue of homelessness, but we think it is an important one. As Alan says, “it is difficult to describe the positive effect simple, fresh socks can have.”
Help us spread the warmth.
