Knickers and Kickers campaign will help fill a huge need

WINNIPEG — At Siloam Mission, the clothing room is full of jackets, jeans and tshirts, but the underwear and sock bins remain nearly empty.

“It’s the most difficult to talk about, and the most difficult to receive,” Judy Richichi with the mission said.

Hundreds of people can’t afford clean socks and underwear every day. That’s why Global News is working with Siloam Mission for the launch of the Knickers and Kickers campaign.

The goal is to collect new socks and underwear for people experiencing homelessness. The mission says they get a large number of clothing donations in the winter, but because undergarments have to be new, they are often short.

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“We’ll probably go through 25,000 pairs of underwear every year, and when it’s the last item people think about, that means we really need it,” Richichi said.

This the first time the campaign is running, and Siloam Mission hopes to make it an annual event. For the people who are staying at the mission, it’s a necessity.

“I live here, I’ve been staying here for 3 months. You may not change your clothes, your jeans every day, but you have to change your underwear,” Wanda Deneve said.

This drive will help hundreds of Winnipeggers like Wanda who can’t afford new socks and underwear.

“We go through enough here, it’s kind of a dignity thing too,” Deneve said.

From 7am to 7pm Winnipeggers are encouraged to bring a donation of new socks or underwear to our tent at St. Vital Centre.