Already celebrities, sports stars and even furry friends have gotten behind this important social movement and in just 2 days have collectively engaged with over 50,000 people. Now the public has a month to help make a huge difference.
It appears the fashion faux-pas of socks ‘n thongs is back – and this time, it’s for a good cause.
Australian apparel company Underworks has partnered with The Salvation Army and together are encouraging people to don their socks ‘n thongs to raise awareness of Australians experiencing homelessness. For every socks ‘n thongs post or story shared on Instagram, one pair of socks will be donated to those who need them most.
The national campaign I Give A Sock officially launched July 1st, encouraging Australians to consider the cause, pose in socks ‘n thongs or sandals, and share on Instagram with the hashtag #igiveasock.
Underworks and The Salvation Army are aiming to donate 20,000 pairs of socks this year alone – that’s almost half of Australia’s youth homelessness population, or a fifth of Australia’s total homeless population (2018 Census).
Following her appearance on SBS’s Filthy Rich and Homeless, where model and singer Alli Simpson lived on the streets for 10 days, the experience inspired her to become a voice to educate her generation on homelessness.
“After spending time living on the streets, I have seen first-hand the homelessness crisis in Australia, and it’s an issue that is important to me and that I want to continue supporting,” Alli said.
“I’m proud to support this timely initiative from Underworks that will bring homelessness to the forefront, and importantly, how Australians can get involved in a simple way that will make a huge difference.
“I encourage everyone to share a picture in their socks and thongs, so we can get as many pairs of socks to those who need them most,” she said.
For every post shared, The Salvation Army will distribute one pair of the Underworks’ special one-size-fits-all range designed for the cause – socks that use top notch yarns and a unique design and development to provide protection from the elements.
This initiative is in addition to a program that Underworks have already embarked on to donate any unsold, discontinued or sample socks to various charitable organisations in Australia, specifically supporting women and children in need.
“Socks are something many of us take for granted, and there is an increasing number of people living rough who do not have access to clean socks or washing facilities,” says The Salvation Army Major Brendan Nottle, who runs Project 614.
“In our experience working on the streets, we have seen an increasing number of people with serious foot diseases. Even worse, we have seen people lose their feet and, in some cases, lose their lives because they cannot access clean socks,” Major Nottle said.
“We are deeply indebted to the generosity of Underworks in donating thousands of pairs of socks to not only help people keep warm, but to improve hygiene and health, and ultimately save lives.”
Underworks founder and CEO Sam Todaro says the company have worked with their suppliers to source premium excess yarns to make the one-size-fits-all socks.
“We wanted to ensure the socks we created specifically for this initiative were warm, and comfortable, and also minimised fabric waste and reduced our environmental footprint,” says Mr. Todaro.
“We’re thrilled to partner with The Salvation Army, who truly care about the cause and will support us in distributing the socks directly to where they need to go as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
“I Give A Sock is all about giving and offering some warmth to those who need it most. We’re proud to help make a difference,” said Mr. Todaro.
