TELUS “Socks For SOX” Fundraising Campaign A Hit

There are some long roads in life – literally. For those in our community who are walking those roads every day, looking for the next place for food, clothing, shelter, or all of the above, the gift of new socks is immeasurable.

Thanks to an annual charitable initiative at TELUS called “Socks for SOX”, those in need of assistance throughout Alberta will benefit from the generosity of this gesture.

In Edmonton, the TELUS Finance Team donated 2,000 pairs of socks to The Salvation Army’s Community & Family Services program for Edmonton’s underprivileged. As a loaded dolly topped up with boxes and boxes of socks rolled up to The Salvation Army van, Jeff Allen and Ron New of the TELUS Finance Team in Edmonton presented us with the generous donation – which filled the entirety of the van.

And the TELUS spirit of generosity did not end there! Representatives from the TELUS Finance Team in Calgary arrived at The Salvation Army Disaster Assistance Centre in High River with 1000 pairs of socks, and an additional 1200 pairs for residents staying at The Salvation Army’s Centre of Hope in Calgary.

To put all this into context, it means The Salvation Army now has approximately 4 months’ inventory of socks for Edmonton and Calgary’s marginalized population, and a much needed contribution to the flood victims in High River.

We often relate the need for clothing, comfort and warmth to our long winter months, but that’s only part of it. The TELUS “Socks for SOX” campaign has contributed to the need for socks  in all seasons, and these donations will carry us through to the end of the year.

“I was also very pleased with the response from our finance areas in 13 other centres across the country that quickly jumped on board to send extra socks to help with the flood relief efforts in High River!” says Donna Dixon from TELUS, referring to the extra number of socks donated specifically to the folks in High River.

“People who are homeless are often times without proper footwear and socks, which makes the day to day endless walking very hard.” says David Dickinson, Executive Director of Community and Family Services with The Salvation Army in Edmonton, “A new pair of clean socks makes all the difference to them.”

Through this initiative and the generosity of the TELUS Finance Teams, each step for hundreds of Albertans facing challenges will be just a little more bearable on the long road they travel.