Gather all your socks for our October event! Introducing Socktober, an organization that gathers socks throughout October for homeless shelters. Homeless shelters are always in need of support from their community. As a YVC (Yakima Valley College) student, I have never felt left behind by my community. Our community is what helps us as students grow into a stronger voice. Advocating for people experiencing homelessness is an outreach that should not be silenced. Everyone needs support, and every single pair of sock counts.
Socktober was founded on October 11, 2012, by Brad Montague. Brad found that homeless shelters lacked socks and were always the number-one asked-for item. He wanted to make a change, and he used his voice to find a great organization that still stands. Yakima Valley College wants to be part of this change, and we plan on never staying silent for our community. We are louder united. Bring your socks to one of the nearest drop locations! Dropboxes can be found in Glen Anthon, Deccio, Raymond Library, HUB, SRC, and Palmer Martin. For the Grandview campus, the dropboxes are in the Library, Grandview Main, Student Activity Center, and Workforce Education Center. Remember, every sock is needed, and so is your voice.
There are two planned locations to which we will donate. Those being Rod’s House and Camp Hope. These two organizations strive to support people of all ethnicities, ages, gender, etc., experiencing homelessness. Rod’s House started as a nonprofit organization, but it took a little 14-year-old girl to make the community advocate for change and support kids and young adults. Rod Bryant constructed a rod house with the help of the community. Camp Hope is a program that has provided shelter since March 2017 to many teens, families, etc. No matter your mental or physical state, they offer great support like educational outreaches and life improvement. They stand by you and advocate for their residents. For them, their program is “More Than a Bed.” These two shelters provide for people experiencing homelessness, and the community has supported them. It is time Yakima Valley Collage takes a stand and helps one sock at a time.
As a community, we should take a moment and realize that some things as small as socks are a huge difference to someone experiencing homelessness. Once again, EVERY SOCK COUNTS. We are louder and stronger together as a community and student body. Thousands of students are attending YVC. Including faculty and staff members that equals many socks. Our voices bring success to our community. Without it, we do not see success. Make sure to drop your socks off at one of the locations at the Yakima or Grandview campuses.
Post authored by Yakima Student Council Programmer Sonia Ortiz-Mendez
