Sock drive to benefit Afghan refugees in Greece
by Martha Cunningham / contributing writer
The mass exodus of Afghan peoples into neighboring countries has
prompted aid from two JMU students. An e-mail from a friend in Athens,
Greece inspired roommates freshmen Reed Barton and Randy Smith to
start a campus-wide wool sock drive.
"One of our best friends is a missionary in Greece," Smith
said. "He e-mailed us and said that there was a need for socks."
The drive that began Nov. 28 and will end this Friday aims to collect
wool and winter socks for the refugees unaccustomed to Mediterranean
winters, Smith said.
According to Barton, "Helping Hands," the missionary group
in Greece aiding the refugees, distributes food and clothing and
offers English language and voluntary religious classes. "Our
friend sent us the e-mail asking us to grab one or two pairs of
socks and drop them in the mail," Barton said. "If everyone
did that it would help a lot."
Sarah Krebs, a representative of the Resident Housing Association,
said Barton and Smith brought their sock-drive idea to an RHA meeting.
"It wasn't too successful in the beginning, but I made
flyers, posted them on doors and announced the project to the community
council."
Positive response from the JMU community has helped in the success
of the project, according to Barton. "The whole community has
been helping. We had a moving company wanting to donate boxes, students
spoke to their classes, and I get e-mails daily from people who
want to help."
According to Barton, the collection has been successful so far,
with a collection box reportedly weighing close to 40 pounds in
Shorts Hall, and a total of 1,000 pairs of socks being collected
thus far. "'Helping Hands' feeds 3,000 people a week,
but they are on the move a lot and new people arrive constantly," Barton
said. "So we hope to collect 15,000 to 20,000 socks to send
to Greece."
There are boxes located in Shorts, Chesapeake and Eagle halls, to
name a few, according to Smith. "We have boxes set up in every
dorm except for eight, but we are working on placing boxes in those
that don't have them," Smith said.
Freshman Mia Wilson said she plans to donate. "It's a
great idea because it shows that JMU students care about the welfare
of the Afghan people," she said.
Students are urged to donate clean winter or wool socks, according
to Barton and Smith.
According to Barton, "When the Taliban moved in, the citizens
[in Afghanistan] were just trying to survive. Most of them are going
to neighboring countries [such as Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan] that
have opened their borders to the people, one of which is Greece.
The streets of Athens are covered with refugees."
Krebs said, "The people are leaving with nothing. A pair of
wool socks would make a world of difference."
Barton and Smith will be on the commons today and Friday from 11
a.m. to 3 p.m. taking donations. For more sock drop information,
contact Barton and Smith at x2-4743.
|
