Humanizing Homelessness Through Sock Drives And Meet-Your-Neighbor Events
Knock Knock Give A Sock (KKGS) humanizes homelessness one sock at a time by bringing together people living in homes and people living in homeless shelters. The organization uses a two-step model to achieve its goal. First, KKGS encourages a company or community group to host a sock drive to collect socks. Second, KKGS turns these transactions of sock donations into meaningful interactions by coordinating a “Meet Your Neighbors Dinner” where neighbors can get to know each other. KKGS envisions a world where individuals of all socioeconomic backgrounds share, listen, and ultimately know their neighbors, which helps build stronger communities. After a homeless man told her that people experiencing homelessness need socks the most, founder Adina Lichtman, a college sophomore at the time, went door-to-door on her dorm floor, knocking on doors and asking for pairs of socks. She collected dozens of socks, and KKGS was created.
