Please meet Chloe and her mom, Terri, who have been part of the Facing Homelessness community since 2016. Chloe was introduced to Facing Homelessness through a field trip with her middle school leadership class in which they brought supplies collected by her whole school and did outreach with our unhoused neighbors alongside our staff.
Today, Chloe is getting ready to graduate from high school and she reflected on that experience: “I felt like it was the first time I had some understanding of what people go through and I realized that I was just kind of in this bubble, not having to even think about what people are dealing with. After hearing from the staff and seeing the photos and stories which were so powerful, it would have felt weird to not continue.”
Chloe stayed in touch, had conversations with her family, and began stepping out of her comfort zone to engage with her broader community in Skagit County. “I used to be very nervous talking to strangers and public speaking and all of that. Over time - telling people about what we were doing and Just Say Hello - I got more and more comfortable.”
Ultimately, Chloe decided she wanted to take on one distinct project that could make a difference in the lives of people who were living unhoused. And “Just Say Socks”, a clever play on our Just Say Hello campaign, was born. Her goal was to ensure our Window of Kindness visitors would have a sustainable source of socks while encouraging her community to build connections with their unhoused neighbors.
“When I started the sock drive in our community it was very small in the beginning, just my leadership class. But then a few years into it we connected with other schools in our valley, 5 or six schools from Skagit to Bellingham. They all took on the sock project and we got a challenge going with the different schools. Kids were coming up to me asking 'how can I help, what can I do, could I start a drive for something?' - just that ripple effect is huge.”
The “Just Say Socks” initiative was an ambitious endeavor and is still in place today. However, the scale of the project has grown significantly, from sock drives through local schools and organizations, to establishing a corporate partnership for Facing Homelessness. After hearing about Bombas, a sock company that gave away a pair of socks for every pair they sold, Chloe decided to write them a letter with Terri’s support. It worked! Chloe shares “That’s been the real game changer, building the relationship with Bombas.” It started with 1,000 pairs of socks per year and has grown to 3,500 - 5,000 pairs, and now Chloe and Terri are working on adding t-shirts and underwear to the mix.
This incredible partnership has supplied the Window of Kindness with a total of 15,000 pairs of socks with 3,500 more on the way for 2022. Socks meet one of the most critical needs for our visitors without stable housing. Having a sustainable source of socks has meant that our clients can rely on a new, clean pair to help keep their feet healthy. It also means we can focus on procuring donations for other critical needs such as tents, tarps, and sleeping bags.
Terri shared about Chloe’s journey that “It’s been a great family thing, a great connection for Chloe and I, and she has taught my husband and I so much about just having respect for people and understanding the concept of Just Saying Hello…now I always carry $5 in my pocket when we go to downtown Seattle.”
Chloe is off to college next year and we are so grateful that she and Terri will continue the Just Say Socks collaboration. Chloe also shared that she has seen major shifts over the years she has been engaging around the issue of homelessness. “It has changed my entire perspective about myself and I no longer see homelessness as one big thing - 'the homeless' - they are individual people who are really struggling. That has been the biggest thing to me. Adding that human piece to it.”
At the end of the day for Chloe and Terri it all comes down to building connection, showing love, and breaking down barriers, “You don’t have to give or have money but you can look someone in the eye and you can let them know I see you, I value you, you are a human.”
We are so grateful to Chloe and Terri for bringing their energy and creativity to this work and for joining us on the journey to end homelessness. We are able to make a difference for our unhoused neighbors together because of the countless individuals that find a place where we can help - thank you to Chloe, Terri and the Facing Homelessness Community!
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/
and click on the ‘donate’ button and consider a gift that is meaningful to you--even a “monthly recurring” donation of just $5 in support of the work. Thank you!
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