St. Mary of the Assumption School in the Santa Maria Valley concluded sock drive April 6 after presenting more than 300 pairs of socks to Mission Hope Cancer Center.
Students collected colorful and fun socks throughout March to support cancer patients undergoing therapy. The St. Mary’s School Sock Drive for Mission Hope was modeled after a similar national program, Students Organizing Cancer Krazy Socks (S.O.C.K.S. www.Socks4Cancer.com).
A sock drives helps cancer patients by putting a smile on the face of a patient, one pair at a time. A second goal is to show youth, no matter how young or old, that they can make a difference in someone’s life by becoming involved in their community.
“Every year each of our grades does a service project. We’ve had in-person instruction since September, and it’s been hard creating service projects during COVID,” said Michelle Cox, the school’s principal.
“Amy Iliff, our first-grade teacher, proposed the idea, and we thought it would be a fantastic project for the entire school,” Cox said.
“At St. Mary’s we teach our children the importance of helping others. I’m always looking for ways for my students to get involved in the community,” said Iliff. “I was excited when I heard about the program, and thought we can do this.”
Iliff contacted the national organization for advice and coordinated with Mission Hope Cancer Center and the St. Mary’s School Sock Drive was off and running.
For more information, contact Cox, 805-925-6713 or email principal@stmarysschoolsm.com.