Eugene Field collects 1,000 socks for vets, accepting more

In the spirit of giving for the holidays, students at Eugene Field Elementary are collecting donations of socks until Dec. 17 to be donated to the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center and for homeless veterans.

Counselor Ester Luna said community members are also welcome to donate white crew socks for Toasty Toes by bringing them to the school. Luna said the school reached it’s goal of 1,000 pairs on Wednesday, but will continue to collect them.

Eugene Field has done this kind of donation once before and collected a little over 3,000 pairs of socks to donate. Luna said the Cowboy Church played a big role in donating that year.

“We would love it if community members donated as well,” she said. “Last time we did it, there were several churches that provided donations.”

A challenge has been laid out to the students; 60 pairs donated per class in order to reach 1,000 to donate.

Luna said some of the classes have brought in closer to 90 pairs and some closer to 30.

Since the school met it’s overall goal, the students will be invited to a sock hop party Dec. 19 where Santa Clause and some elves will visit. Luna said representatives from the VA will come during the party to pick up the socks.

“The VA hospital was really appreciative of it (last time),” Luna said.

Luna said the school really enjoyed doing the project last year and the impact it had on the community. Along with it being a good thing to do, she said, there’s a lesson the school wants to teach students from doing this kind of project.

“We’re a very high poverty school and we want to teach our kids to give; not just to get, but to give,” Luna said. “This is something that doesn’t have to cost a whole lot of money because if every child brought one package of socks, it can be under $10 and it can help a lot of people.

“We want to teach them that you don’t have to have a lot of money to give. There’s a lot of homeless people in Poplar Bluff and we think that they are a population that we need to help if we can.”