"One man came up to our [podiatry] section wearing boots that he hadn't taken off for months. They were wet and dirty and literally stuck to his feet. When the podiatrist finally removed the boots, we saw that he had such a severe case of trench foot that the treads of his boots had literally been embedded into the soles of his feet. Once the doctor finished treating him, we gave him some new socks and he was so happy and so thankful that he had tears in his eyes.
"Often [at the PHC events], people will come to the podiatry section and simply ask for a clean pair of socks. When they get them, they are so happy; in some cases, it makes their day. It's a powerful feeling to see that. I mean...socks! Something so simple and so basic, but wow--what a difference they can make."
Make the next steps for our homeless neighbors a little easier by bringing new socks to the Jazz in the Basement concert.
All donated socks will be distributed at the next Project Homeless Connect outreach event in June (date TBD).
Since April 2015, patrons of Jazz in the Basement have donated more than 1,200 pairs of socks to Project Homeless Connect, bringing a small measure of warmth, comfort, and hope to hundreds of homeless men, women, and children.