SMC Sheriff's Assoc. Donates 2,500 Pairs Of Socks To The Homeless

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — Ahead of Christmas, sheriff's officials are gathering in San Mateo County to warm the soles of local homeless, who are consistently seeking new socks, officials said Monday. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Association is donating 2,500 pairs of socks to individuals and families in shelters across the Peninsula.

"This volume of socks represents the 2017 One Day Homeless Count of 1,253 individuals observed as having spent the night on the streets, in vehicles, or in the county’s emergency shelters, along with a number for homeless veterans," the association said in a news release.

The sheriff's association's president, Hector Acosta, said the second "holiday giving program" is run with the help of Bombas socks. According to Acosta, socks remain the top requested clothing item at shelters nationwide.

Warming the soles & souls of #SanMateoCounty homeless. The @SMCSOA had the 2nd annual donation of 2,500 pairs of socks to the those in need thru @Samaritan_House w/ the help of @ProjectWeHOPE @LifeMovesOrg @SupDavePine @SMCHSA & @BombasSocks #SOAsmileSquad #smcsoa #WeAreSamHouse pic.twitter.com/CWRJZDcaBp
— San Mateo County S.O (@SMCSheriff) December 18, 2018

"For those who experience homelessness, clean socks can boost health, warmth, and one’s spirit," San Mateo County Human Services Agency Director Nicole Pollack said. "Through this donation, the Sheriff’s Office Association is directly improving the conditions for our homeless population this winter."

The Bombas socks being handed out are "specially engineered ... for those who do not have the luxury of putting on a clean pair of socks every day," officials said.

"We are proud that our widows and orphans organization, the SOA, is able to provide public benefit through their partnership with Bombas," Sheriff Carlos G. Bolanos said. "SOA giving programs have been a tradition since the SOA inception in the early 1950s. We hope this holiday gift will warm the soles and souls of those who find themselves homeless in San Mateo County.”

— Image via Shutterstock