Philadelphia Parish’s Socktober Drive Helps Saint John’s Hospice Provide Warmth to Vulnerable Individuals
As St. Dominic Catholic Church in Northeast Philadelphia prepared to celebrate its 175th anniversary on September 7 last year, Ramona Sharkey and her fellow parishioners were eager to find a service project that would mark the occasion.
St. Dominic’s Pastor, Father Brian Connolly, asked Sharkey and three others to head a service committee to decide which projects the parish would complete monthly. That search led them to Saint John’s Hospice (SJH) and its annual Boot Up Philly event.
Sharkey and the St. Dominic team recognized that supporting Boot Up Philly could have a significant impact in the community without too much monetary stress on the parish community. So, they decided to launch a Socktober Drive, an initiative to collect socks for people in need.
“It was perfect for us,” Sharkey said. “We found out that SJH needed many things for the event. Because we are a small parish and didn’t want to put a financial strain on our parishioners, we decided to create an event called Socktober. During the month of October, we collected socks and brought them to the Boot Up Philly event.”
Since 2020, SJH provides new boots, coats, and other cold-weather clothing each year as part of its Boot Up Philly campaign. This effort, which will culminate in a day-long event on October 19, ensures that people impacted by poverty get what they need to survive even the coldest winter. Last year, SJH distributed cold weather items to more than 800 individuals and families.
One of the first shelters in the city, SJH provides crucial, life-sustaining services such as an emergency shelter, a 40-bed residence, a 12-bed residence for men experiencing homelessness with an HIV diagnosis, and serving over 52,000 meals annually for day service guests.
The Socktober drive last year was launched by St. Dominic’s parish and school, the Sisters of the Trinitarians, and Holy Family University. Their initial goal was to collect 175 pairs, but through the generous outpouring from the community, more than 2,000 pairs were collected.
At last year’s Boot Up Philly event, Sharkey, Father Connolly, and a small group of parishioners arrived at 8:00 a.m. to help set up and volunteer.
“We arrived that morning, and there were already groups of people wrapped around the parking lot’s perimeter,” Sharkey said. “Seeing the love, compassion, patience, and understanding among those involved was so beautiful. It was such a wonderful experience.”
This year, St. Dominic is excited to continue supporting Boot Up Philly. The Socktober team already started spreading the word and collecting socks again for the event. So far, they have collected more than 1,100 pairs of socks. If you have pairs of socks, you can drop them off in the back of St. Dominic’s church after all weekend masses until Friday October 18.
For Sharkey, the opportunity to give back through Boot Up Philly has been fulfilling, and she encourages others looking to give back to participate in this annual event.
“If you want to have a great experience and give a couple of hours of service, reach out to SJH,” Sharkey said.
For more information on Boot Up Philly and how you can join the cause, visit www.saintjohnshospice.org/boot-up-philly/. SJH is a ministry of the Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. For more information about Catholic Social Services and its services and programs, visit www.cssphiladelphia.org.