There are people who pack 10 extra pairs of socks when they travel, and then there are people who forget them entirely, minus the ones currently on their feet. For the latter, socks are a luxury only realized after days of miserably trekking with damp feet. Project Socktober, a project of community donation drives, sparks a new point of reflection among us privileged enough to not have to worry about the warmth of our toes.
Socktober started in 2011 as a small project by Brad Montague and a few middle school students, handing out socks among other necessities to unhoused people on the streets of Tennessee. Today, this mission has expanded across all seven continents with anyone being able to participate by organizing sock drives for their local organizations in need.
Living in a suburban bubble may mean that we’re too busy to really notice the changing seasons or the dropping temperatures—a privilege afforded to us by the comfortable living conditions we often take for granted. The simple action of turning a thermostat up is a luxury whose absence is felt every day in the winter season for the 10% of Orange County residents living below the poverty line; that’s over 300,000 people, according to the 2023 U.S. Census.
In Irvine, many small things in our everyday lives are only made possible due to a number of circumstances we underestimate the importance of. The suburban location, with its abundant fauna and flora, is why we’re able to hear birds chirping in the morning, something kids in big cities often miss. Due to our strong public support, our great public libraries make information and art so much more accessible to us. The joyous shrills of kids playing outside unsupervised is a reminder of our low crime rates. Socks, animals, reading a good book—in the fast-paced modern life, we often overlook the simple pleasures of these unmonumental luxuries.
Many neighborhoods in Irvine bustle with Halloween festivities like trick-or-treating. But cities whose residents often struggle to make ends meet—like Santa Ana, just a 20-minute drive away—might experience less holiday cheer. The dwindled spirit stems from factors like neighborhood safety concern or the lack of adult supervision as parents work multiple jobs—many of which we take for granted. The same can be said for many other holidays, where cultural celebrations with abundant feasts are often missed due to the inability to take time off for travel during the season.
Socktober reminds us to be mindful of the small luxuries we’re lucky enough to have gotten accustomed to. It encourages anyone to connect with local shelters and organize local donation drives.
No matter where you live, there are plenty of operations that welcome acts of kindness. The Irvine Animal Care Center accepts donations of gently used pet items year round, and multiple local womens’ and domestic violence shelters welcome donating feminine hygiene products, as period poverty is a limiting factor often overlooked. Whatever shape or form you choose to help our community, it’s an act of appreciating what most of the time falls under our line of sight.