More than 2,000 socks have been collected to help warm Montreal’s homeless.
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Barry Christensen, who works as a paramedic for Urgences-Santé, delivered the socks to St. Michael’s Mission Monday.
“Whether I’m just making sandwiches, or whether I’m collecting socks, everything helps,” he said.
Bags after bags of new socks were brought to the day centre, which serves hundreds of people a day.
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The drive was an initiative that began last year.
The initial goal was to gather 1,000 pairs of socks, but that doubled when donations started coming in from as far as Florida, U.S.
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“I’m really proud of the number we got this year,” Christensen told Global News.
“It’s going to make a difference. Having warm dry feet in the winter is always a lot more comfortable. Nobody likes having cold feet.”
It’s a big help for Sim Tuckatuck, a First Nations man from northern Quebec who now lives on the streets of Montreal.
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“When they’re wet, they get cold,” he said, explaining that he often takes his socks to public restrooms to dry them under a blower.
“It’s a little bit embarrassing but I do it anyway.”
The socks are a significant donation for St. Michael’s Mission, which serves meals and helps hundreds of Montreal’s homeless every day.
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“It’s 365 days a year – not just for Christmas and donations should be thought of on the other months,” said Lisa-Marie Scolack, a crisis worker with the Mission.
The socks will be distributed starting Wednesday.
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