'Socktober' campaign at P.E.I. high school off on the right foot

Students at WestisleComposite High School in Elmsdale, P.E.I., have launched a month-long campaign during October to fill a huge boxfull of new socks and gently-used winter clothing to donate to Islanders in need.

They're calling it Socktober and the initiative isspearheaded by student council president Mary Fran Williams, who drew inspiration for the campaign from seeing humanitarian efforts by studentselsewhere in the world.

"You just put yourself in somebodyelse's shoes, right," she said. "You think of all the stuff you have in the wintertime and you think about somebody who might not have that."

Williams and other students put a large cardboard box in the lobby of the school fordonations, and they're hoping the box will be overflowing with donations "so that everybody can have something to stay warm because Canada is cold," she said.

Students shared pictures of the Socktober box on Facebook and Instagramand it's generating buzzin West Prince, she said, with some alumni and teachers fromother schools pitching in.

"The box is gettingfilled up not to the brim yet, but it's getting there,"she said. "With the help of social media we'rehoping that it spreads."

Williams said if the box fills upthen they'll just keep it going, "and if we have to put another box out, that'll be awesome."

'Awesome'

The campaign is getting some help from Darcy Harris, a teacher at Westisle and a student council advisor, although he saidthe students are firmly in charge.

"The kids, they run everything," he said. "Mary Fran is a go-getter she came up with this idea, she got student council excited about the idea, she's now got the school and the staff excited about the idea.

"I'm just a bystander. I'm along for the ride," he added, laughing.

Staffat the school have pitched in on Socktober, and many morehavepromisedto donate.

All the items will be donated to a free yard sale at theO'Leary Baptist Church being held in November, Williams said.

"Donations are still coming steady everybody reacted pretty good to it."

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