If you ask anyone that works with the homeless community, what the one item is that people are always in need of, you will find it’s “the necessities.” Other than the staple items like food or clothes, it’s those items that you just don’t think about but are utilized on a daily basis, that are needed the most for people in these desperate situations. Chief among them and most commonly overlooked, you may be surprised to learn are…socks.
On the street, people without proper living conditions are forced to brave extreme weather conditions standing on their feet for long periods, and something as simple as a pair of socks can really make all the difference. So it came as a wonderful blessing on December 4, National Sock Day, when David Ehrenberg, Alan Stuart, and husband of Jessica Alba, Cash Warren, co-founders of the hip new sock brand named, “Pair of Thieves,” decided to do something special for Dream Center. Bringing in a truckload of 25,000 brand new socks for those in need to be distributed amongst the residents.
The goal is, for every sale of “Pair of Thieves” socks, the company commits to donating another pair of socks to a charity or non-profit. With over 2 million pairs of socks distributed free-of-charge, to-date, the Dream Center was the latest beneficiary to be blessed by the generous company. “We are enthusiastic about being able to give back to the community, Ehrenberg told KTLA 5 News. We learned a number of years back that socks were the number one most requested and least donated item at shelters and transitional facilities and that was one of the reasons we were inspired to create national sock day, which has evolved over the years into a real day of service, a real day of giving. As well as a way to celebrate cool socks, fun, comfortable socks.”
KTLA 5 News was on site to witness the truck as they pulled up to the double doors of the Dream Center full of boxes of new socks to give away.
At the Dream Center, four transitional housing programs house up to over 500 individuals and families on any given day and these donations really help to encourage residents to keep working. Transitional housing programs are available for individuals battling addiction, abuse and human trafficking, homeless families, homeless veterans (men and women), and foster youth who have emancipated out on the streets with nowhere left to go and no family support. On top of essentials like socks, residents are provided with food, education, counseling, and a community of support–all free of charge.
Students and their families benefiting from the Dream Center’s “Restart Learning” program, a COVID-19 relief effort dedicated to supporting on-site learning for students to complete schoolwork and remote learning classes, also got the chance to receive a free pair of socks from the company. Pair of Thieves hopes to donate much more in the future and the people at the Dream Center are thankful this holiday season that the company has dedicated themselves to making a difference in so many lives.
The Dream Center depends on the generosity, and donations of faithful partnerships with businesses and the local community to serve its long-term residents in transition and outreach to the greater Los Angeles community. If you would like to support the Dream Center to continue its mission to serve, click here.
