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Organizer of Treasure Coast Sock Drive tells council the campaign expanded to Port St. Lucie and collected thousands of pairs
Summary
Barry Shapiro updated the council on the Treasure Coast Sock Drive: the effort has grown to collect thousands of socks and distributes to multiple charities along the Treasure Coast.
Barry Shapiro, who identified himself as an organizer of the Treasure Coast Sock Drive, told the Sebastian City Council on Feb. 12 that the volunteer effort has grown since it began in Vero Beach and now spans collection points from Port St. Lucie to Melbourne.
Shapiro said last year’s drive collected more than 15,000 pairs of socks distributed through 22 charities. “We are not a charity. We are not a 501(c)(3). We're just a group of friends, local people that want to do some good, and we don't take anyone's money. We take socks,” he told the council. He said socks are particularly needed for people without reliable access to laundry, and that the drive accepts men’s, women’s, children’s and compression socks.
Shapiro said the drive has donation boxes around the region — including a box in the City Hall lobby — and described an Amazon storefront link that donors can use to ship socks directly to the drive. He said collections continue through the end of February and that the group will accept donations at other times as well.
Why this matters
Socks are a basic hygiene need for people experiencing homelessness and those using local charities. The drive supplies multiple local service providers including children’s shelters and family centers.
What’s next
Shapiro said the drive will participate in the regionwide point-in-time count next week and that the group will distribute socks as part of that effort.
