WS Chronicle

SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Hanes, America’s No. 1 apparel label and flagship brand of HanesBrands, recently announced that it will donate 200,000 pairs of socks to The Salvation Army and is expanding this year’s effort by coordinating the collection of new socks at 160 HanesBrands Outlet stores across the country, including the HanesBrands Outlet store in Thruway Shopping Center.

“Walking a mile in someone’s shoes takes on a much different meaning when that person is homeless,” said Sidney Falken, chief branding officer for HanesBrands. “Socks are the most requested – and least donated – item in homeless shelters. And access to something as basic as a clean, dry pair of socks can literally save lives within our country’s homeless population.”

According to the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty, an estimated 2.5 million to 3.5 million Americans experienced homelessness last year. People who are homeless walk an average of 10 miles per day, putting more wear on their socks in one week than the average American does in one year.

HanesBrands has donated more than 1.9 million pairs of socks to The Salvation Army since launching the program in 2009. The program is part of Hanes for Good, the company’s corporate social responsibility program focused on environmental stewardship, workplace quality and community building.

Lt. Col. Ron Busroe, The Salvation Army’s national community relations and development secretary, said: “We are grateful to the company and Hanes brand for spearheading the sock drive for almost a decade. The impact that a donation of this size has on our centers is immeasurable. The donation is about more than just the physical socks — for some of the people we serve, receiving something as simple as a clean pair of socks can have a positive effect on their overall well-being.”

The Triad can directly support the local community through sock donations at the HanesBrands Outlet store in Thruway Shopping Center. Collection bins are located at checkout counters, making it easy to donate as purchases are made.

Store employees will distribute the donated socks to local nonprofit organizations.