In a 2019 article "Socks Are A Critical Component of Our Health" by Harold Cox, the Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at Boston University School of Public Health, most homeless people face foot care problems because they often lack resources to buy well-fitting, adequate footwear. Many homeless people have a condition called polyneuropathy, in which they lose nerve function and cannot feel irritations of the feet. The thickened skin can then break down to an ulcer and become infected, causing sepsis or even deep bone infections. Lack of access to quality health care can exacerbate these problems. All of this can be mitigated with proper foot care, including access to clean socks.
At the Jan. 5th Andover Rotary breakfast meeting, a comment was made - "we should collect socks for the homeless". By the following meeting, club members responded and donated 173 pairs.
By Jan. 17th, over 200 pairs were collected and presented by President Amy Salant to Michael Gorman, the Founder of The Movement Family, at their weekly Wednesday evening dinner held at the Buckley Transportation Center in Lawrence.
A pair was offered to each person when they came through the line for dinner. Creating hope one pair at a time.
To learn more about The Movement Family, click here.