Staff at the WorkLink put their best foot forward to help the homeless.
“We usually do a food drive, but we wanted to do something different this year,” said Jennifer Isaac, external relations supervisor for WorkLink Employment Society Westshore. “So we reached out to Rev. Al Tysick to see what was needed, and he suggested socks.”
The 32 staff members certainly stepped up, organizing a Let’s Rock The Socks fundraiser that donated 189 pairs of socks, with the total then matched by WorkLink Employment Society Westshore. “The response was overwhelming,” Isaac added.
Rev. Tysick, who founded the Dandelion Society in 2011 to assist the most vulnerable people, said doctors had told him that clean white socks are desperately needed because homeless people spend so much time walking. The cold, wet winter months but those who live on the street at the risk of getting trench foot, the flu and hypothermia.
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“The doctors tell me the best I can do is to keep the homeless in clean socks,” explained Tysick, a beacon of assistance for the less fortunate over the past 40 years. “WorkLink staff has helped to do that. Thank you so much. What a great Christmas gift.”
The Dandelion Society will receive 300 pairs, with the remaining 78 pairs headed to the Sooke Shelter.
“Providing a pair of socks to someone in need seems like a small gesture, but it can make a significant difference for somebody who doesn’t have access to new socks,” Isaac said. “I would love to see other organizations launch their sock drive throughout the year to help homeless and street people to at least have decent footwear.”
Visit worklink.bc.ca for more information on the work the society does.
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