By EmmaLee Italia| Correspondent
For the homeless, when it comes to fighting weather extremes, a pair of new socks can make a huge difference.
Armed with this knowledge, the Women of Spirit group and Knights of Columbus Council 7677 of St. Gregory the Great Parish, Hamilton Square, presented a $4,000 donation May 6 to Tom Costello, founder of The Joy of Sox, a Philadelphia-based non-profit providing new socks to the homeless since 2010.
The fundraising effort began with a Sock Hop in the parish center in February, an idea that came from the Women of Spirit, who enlisted the help of the Knights to help plan and organize the event. That event alone brought in proceeds of $2,000, which was quickly followed by an additional $2,000 in donations the following Sunday after Masses.
“Amazement. Rapid heartbeat. The word ‘unbelievable’ also came to mind,” said Costello, when he heard of the amount. “My initial expectations were that a sock hop might raise $1,000 or so. And THAT would be outstanding.”
Alyce Rossi, founding member of the Women of Spirit, was prompted by St. Gregory’s pastor, Father Michael McClane, to start a new women’s ministry. From the small group of eight women, the idea of the Sock Hop was born, thanks to member Sharon Zubricky’s connection to The Joy of Sox.
“Sharon is a longtime friend of my wife, Nancy Costello,” Costello explained. At the request of Costello, Zubricky contacted her sister-in-law, Christine Shipley, executive director of the State Republican Office, Trenton.
“Christine spearheaded the effort … to get state resolutions passed declaring Valentine’s Day as ‘Socks for the Homeless Day,’” Costello explained, adding that New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware and North Dakota have also adopted the resolution. “We received bi-partisan support, and the resolution was passed and signed by Gov. Murphy Feb 21.”
The idea behind the resolution, Costello continued, was to find another event following the traditional season of giving between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. Zubricky also suggested the idea of a parish fundraiser around the Valentine’s resolution, which evolved into the Sock Hop.
“We really came together, the Women of Spirit and the Knights,” Rossi said of the Sock Hop organization. “Grand Knight Larry Sargent is a professional deejay, so we asked him to help… and the Knights to help organize, including my husband Dan, supreme director.”
Costello said that $4,000 will allow The Joy of Sox an immediate ability to obtain and deliver new socks to those experiencing homelessness, beginning with the shelters in the Trenton area.
“We would like to coordinate the planning and distribution with the Knights of Columbus and members of the parish,” he said. “Also, we plan to contact [state resolution sponsors] to see how we can provide new socks for shelters in their districts, [which] could develop into recurring events. We also help some facilities in Camden and plan on a distribution there as well.”
To learn more about The Joy of Sox, visit TheJoyofSox.org.