MESA, AZ — To get hope, sometimes you have to give it.
"Socks are the least donated item and the most needed item in many homeless shelters," explained Footprints to Recovery Executive Director Becky Kartagener.
The Valley facility has enlisted the help of their patients to help others as part of their recovery.
The nationwide campaign is called "Socks of Love" with a goal of collecting 10,000 socks.
Patients and employees are tasked with collecting the donations, tagging, and bagging them to be given out to those who need it - especially in our desert winter weather.
"We can tell who the sports fans are," Kartagener laughed. "There are many sports ones donated."
The style does not matter. Regardless if they are plain or patterned, these socks serve a purpose.
The 10,000 socks will come from the other Footprints to Recovery locations.
The Valley location in Mesa recently opened in the last few months. So far, they have collected more than 800 socks to add to that nationwide total.
"We're short-term and we detox from opiates, bentos, and alcohol," Kartagener explained.
They have come to the Valley at a crucial time. The Arizona Department of Health Services reported that there have been roughly 2,200 suspected opioid deaths since June 2017.
Earlier his week, a new study was released that showed more people across the nation were killed from opioid overdoses than in car crashes.
So, in order to keep patients on a path of success - Kartagener explains that volunteering is how they set them up to keep the recovery going.
"Often times, they're coming to us at their lowest points," Kartagener said. "They're not feeling great about themselves and this starts to help them feel worthy, a part of the community... see that they are able to contribute to society in a positive way. I think overall it just gives them hope."
If you want to help with the "Socks of Love" campaign, you can donate through the end of January. You can order socks and have them shipped to the facility or you can drop them off in person.
Footprints to Recovery is located at 1132 S. Oakland Avenue in Mesa. Their number is 480-666-1100.
They plan on delivering the donations beginning in early February.
If you would like to discuss treatment options, call their Admissions line at 855-628-2899.
