Sock drive reveals village’s soul
Alice Salter-Roy hangs socks on the Holy Socks line at Christ’s Church in Saxtons River.

Sock drive reveals village’s soul

'Holy Socks' collects winter socks for homeless

SAXTONS RIVER — This village may find itself nicknamed Sockstons River if the project underway at Christ's Church gains traction.

Church members are conducting a drive through Jan. 1, 2015, to collect new and used socks for the Greater Falls Warming Shelter.

To make the drive - dubbed Holy Socks - more visible, organizers will suspend the donations from a clothesline strung in the church akin to Christmas stockings “hung by the chimney with care.”

“The words holey, holy, heel, heal, sole and soul are ripe for punning,” said Wanda Salter, one of the instigators of the drive, “but this is serious business when you're out in the cold with wet feet.”

Socks in all sizes are needed, but especially men's socks, either new or old, as long as they are in good condition. And the heavier the better, Salter said.

According to Warming Shelter board member Louise Luring, shelter guests often arrive with socks wet from the snow and rain.

“A pair of dry socks can make a big difference in a person's health and mental attitude,” she said.

The church will have a sock collection basket inside its front entrance, which is open weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday mornings, and for the 7 p.m. Christmas Eve service.

Socks can also be dropped off at the Blue Door free community soup suppers in the church dining room Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m.

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