A way to give back this October that will rock your socks

Ah, October.

The pumpkins

The cooler temperatures

The coffee

Two years ago, those were the reasons I enjoyed the month of October until last year I did something to give back to my community. I stumbled across Socktober. Socktober encourages people to collect socks for donating to local charities.

Socks.

Something that has become a novelty item to so many yet so precious to those who may not have any. Last year I thought I'd give it a whirl so I made a graphic from the Socktober website, emailed people in my network, and set a goal of 40 pairs.

I smashed the goal and donated almost 60 pairs of socks to the Columbus Faith Mission. When I walked in with that box of socks last year, it was a humbling experience. As I walked in the doors of the Faith Mission, I heard babies crying. As I walked to the front desk I was greeted by many people coming up to me saying hello. I said hello to all of them and told them I had some socks for them. I remember in particular one man got giddy. He said he'd had the same pair for a few months and they have holes in the heels. As I put the box down on the front desk, a staff member asked me if I needed a donation receipt to which I replied no. I asked if I could have the group of people go through the socks to which the staff member said I could. I moved out of the way and observed the happiness of digging through a box of socks. There were white socks, black socks, and socks with different patterns. These socks brightened the days of many people that day. I knew from that day forward, I would always do something with Socktober.

So I'm doing it again this year. I decided to combine Socktober with Central Ohio ATD's new initiative, COATD loves Columbus. So far this year, our members have generously donated to the Clintonville Food Pantry and Jericho's Light House. If you are coming to our Emerging Professional Showcase and Look & Learn event, please bring some socks to donate to this cause. If you can't attend and want to be part of the effort there are a couple of things you can do.

1) Start your own Socktober. Share this with your friends, workplace, or organization of choice. The first five people to comment on this article or DM telling me they are doing Socktober, I will mail you a pack of socks to help with your goal!

2) If socks aren't your thing, do your own thing this October. There are so many great ways to give back to your local community. This time before the holidays are difficult for many people for a variety of reasons. If you can help make their day better by small acts of kindness, you are doing your part to make the world a better place.