Springbank Community School is holding its annual sock drive at the school until Dec. 18 to benefit The Mustard Seed and bring the community together this holiday season.
“(The sock drive) has been going on since I was in elementary school,” said Grade 12 student Natasha Kornak.
“It’s a large component of the Springbank community and it’s a fantastic way to get our community into the holiday spirit.”
Kornak said she helped plan the sock drive as part of the school’s One Village action group, but added this is a school-wide effort.
“We try to use a model of thinking globally and acting locally to contribute in to our communities and international aid,” Kornak said.
Kornak said the group is asking Springbank students, parents and community members to donate new socks stuffed with everyday items like toiletries, mints and other personal items.
After all the socks are collected, she said the students from One Village will drop the socks at The Mustard Seed where they will then be distributed to those in need.
Kornak said she believes the sock drive is more helpful to those in need than straight up money because the tangible element of the socks gives something concrete and thoughtful to Mustard Seed patrons.
“These items are things we take for granted on a daily basis,” Kornak said. “When you give physical items to a charity like The Mustard Seed, you’re giving back in a way that someone will appreciate even more.”
She said despite the fact a small group of students planned the details, this sock drive is a school-wide event with involvement from every area of the school, even teachers.
For example, Kornak said, teachers have pledged to do embarrassing things in front of the student body depending on the number of socks the school raises.
“Teachers have offered to do crazy things to fuel the incentive,” Kornak said. “We’re making our math teacher sing Christmas carols at lunch if we get 200 and maybe if we hit our goal they’ll do a dance to Jingle Bell Rock on the last day of school.”
Kornak said they usually raise around 200 socks this time of year, but their big goal is 300. She added local hotels like the Ecolodge have donated toiletries to help with the cause.
Anyone can donate stuffed socks right to the school. Kornak said there is a large donation box located in the school’s foyer.
“Springbank is very fortunate,” Kornak said. “It’s eye-opening to see that this exists at home and it really legitimizes all the stuff we’re doing here.”
