The Samaritan House Barrie wants to help you find a fun gift for the sock lover on your list while also raising money for those in the community experiencing violence and poverty.
Their mission is to help women, children and families receive housing and programming in case they’re faced with domestic violence and/or a poverty situation. Samaritan House Community Ministries has been in Barrie for 14 years.
Samaritan House Barrie outreach co-ordinator Tamara Gordon was at Georgian Mall on Thursday helping to sell some socks for the holiday rush that the organization experiences.
“This is our fundraiser to help raise money for the programs that we offer. It's a neat little way to not only help others, but also cross a unique Christmas gift off your list,” said Gordon.
“So far, we’ve had a lot of people stop and buy some socks and while I’m not 100%, I feel we will reach our goal of $1,000 today," she added.
Samaritan House Barrie has a resource centre at 37 Burton Ave., where anyone can drop in and get free clothing and housewares.
Some of the programs the Samaritan House Barrie is hoping to fund is their literacy and outreach programs that start in January and which will teach people life skills and empowerment toward it.
The Ugly Sock Fundraiser was only on at the mall on Thursday, but is an ongoing campaign for Samaritan House Barrie and items can be purchased from their website or at 37 Burton Ave.
Gordon told BarrieToday that the idea for the Ugly Socks campaign came from a Samaritan House Barrie placement student who had a connection through their family and the family offered to donate all the profits from any of the socks sold today to the organization.
“It was not only such a great idea, but also such a blessing as it has really got our name out today with people who didn’t know we were here in the community,” said Gordon. “Some of the socks are real conversation starters and enjoyable to wear.”
For more information on the campaign and Samaritan House Barrie, visit www.samaritanhousecm.com.
