First United Church desperate for socks as supplies run low

Officials with Vancouver's First United Church are asking for sock donations to meet demand from the homeless people it serves.

"You know the last homeless count showed that there was an increase in the homeless population of Vancouver and we've faced a higher demand than usual," said Natalie Lanoville First United Church's manager of resource development.

"We try to limit ourselves, the number of pairs of socks that we give out everyday, but sometimes it's hard to say no to people who are really in need."

First United Church offers programs and support for people experiencing homelessness and poverty in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

It offers a foot soak each weekday morning from nine to 11, and with that comes a new pair of socks, but Lanoville says they often don't last long.

"When you spend 16 to 18 hours a day on your feet a lot of times, not only are you wearing the same pair of socks everyday, those socks are getting wet, you might not have such good nutrition so you might also have injuries and wounds on your feet," she said.

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First United Church gives away up to 100 pairs of socks everyday during the week and up to 20 pairs on the weekend. It tries to have a stockpile of up to 1000 pairs on hand.

Often schools or church groups organize sock drives, some donors buy them on Amazon or other online retailers and have them shipped to the church.

Lanoville says First United also accepts used socks as long as they are clean and have no holes.

"It seems like such a small thing but for so many people who spend up to 18 hours a day on their feet it can be a really transformational gift," she said.