What is Socks & Chocs?
So, OK Ian, I get why you want to help the homeless and I get why you felt compelled to do something after your experience with the homeless man in your last blog. The question remains "Why socks?".
Well this is an interesting one.
I was in the Army many, many years ago, too many to mention, especially when I look in the mirror and see this old guy looking back at me!
Even when we were out in the field on exercise, existing on little sleep, getting cold and wet, the Army always made you put on a fresh pair of socks each morning. Initially we all thought it was just another silly Army rule!
I cannot tell you how much more alive, fresher and more human this made you feel.
When I decided to actually do something for the homeless, instead of talking a good job (and many people are good at commenting but lack action) I remembered how my feet felt with fresh socks on in the Army days. I thought it would have a similar effect on the homeless community.
Little did I know at the time the problems with feet that homeless people face. It turned out to be a perfect thing to do. Cold, wet feet combined with dirty socks full of holes are just not a good combination.
Homeless people sometimes have only one pair of socks in very poor condition and as such suffer from foot problems such as trench foot.
Socks for the homeless was the initial idea.
I thought about it and decided to do something in the run up to Christmas (we now operate all year) and so I thought about the selection boxes I was given as a kid. I concluded that most people like chocolate, especially if they don't usually have any, and, this is the sad bit, it rhymed with socks!
Socks and Chocs was born.
I have been invited to a First World War Remembrance Day at a centre I work with in Birmingham called Sifa Fireside. It made me think about the term 'trench foot' and the origins of that phrase made me think often about how cold and wet it must have been in the trenches. Should trench foot even exist anymore?
In a future blog I will talk about Street Link (a website through which you can alert local authorities to rough sleepers, to enable them to get help) as a simple thing you can do but for now do watch this video made by my Prince's Trust students - it really highlights the issue:
Please visit www.socksandchocs.co.uk to see more about what we do and follow me on Twitter @buskingbobby.