ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – This winter, a nationwide footwear retailer is keeping America’s service members and veterans warm and comfortable.
From November 1 through December 31, Shoe Sensation held its annual Socks 4 Troops campaign. Customers donated and purchased new pairs of socks, which will be distributed to current service members and local veterans.
The Escanaba store collected the third-highest number of socks in the entire company, bringing in 3,688 pairs. That number is up by almost a thousand compared to the previous year. Shoe Sensation doubled its national goal of 60,000 pairs of socks, collecting more than 122,000.
Store manager Marge Derkos says the campaign has grown significantly over the past decade thanks to the community’s support.
“There’s people who actually do come in year after year, and they’ll say, ‘Take this $100 and put it toward the Socks 4 Troops,'” Derkos said. “The military runs in their family, so they want to give back to people who have served. It’s just gotten bigger and bigger. It was a partnership on everybody’s part, throughout our whole company.”
The Bay de Noc Lions Club will soon be delivering many of the socks collected to veterans in Delta County, Marquette, and Iron Mountain. Certain brands of socks approved for military use will be sent to Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, where they will be given to active-duty units.
“I wandered in here looking for a pair of shoes and saw the advertisement,” Lions Ambassador Jeff Ware said, recalling the beginning of his involvement in Socks 4 Troops. “It’s nice to see the community show their support for the veterans and to get involved in community activities. We’re all in this together.”
The Bay de Noc Lions Club supports humanitarian and health causes in the community. To learn more about the Lions or to inquire about becoming a member, visit district10lions.org, follow the Bay de Noc Lions Club Facebook page, or email baydenoclions@gmail.com.
