Sick of losing that one sock that leaves you with an annoyingly un-matched pair? Want to bin them all and start afresh, but got cold feet? This winter a new social enterprise called Pair your Socks has teamed up with The Cathedral Archer Project, a Sheffield-based homeless charity that has been around for over 25 years, in an effort to keep homeless people warm in the coming months.
The Archer Project aims to develop homeless people’s independence and wellbeing where possible, from being given access to new sleeping-bags, showers and hot food, to giving opportunities and encouragement to volunteer and gain experience that can result in employment.
With homelessness on the rise in Sheffield, it’s unfortunately simply impossible to help everyone this winter. Simple things make all the difference though, and socks are the least donated items to charities. So, Pair Your Socks works like this – you buy a pair of nice thick cosy socks from their website for £12, and for every pair, £1 goes to The Cathedral Archer Project charity, and a pair of socks will be given to one homeless person… the twist is, they’ll be odd! A sock from your pair will be swapped for a sock from the pair that you made possible to donate, not only making it okay to have odd socks (thank goodness)– but also connecting you to someone you’ve never met, who needs them more than you could ever imagine.
Already have too many socks? You can donate your pair by clicking ‘Donate both pairs’ when buying them and providing a pair for two homeless people, and £2 will go towards The Cathedral Archer Project instead of £1. Otherwise, Christmas is coming, and of course everyone needs socks for Christmas (they don’t)… so instead of giving your (thankless) loved one yet another pair un-wanted socks as a stocking-filler this year, make someone else’s Christmas by supporting Pair Your Socks and donating them to the homeless, for someone who will truly appreciate them when their feet are sock-less, cold and wet this winter. Socks are only a short term solution, but it’s one that really, really makes a difference!
For more information, head to Pair Your Socks website
