Socks for the Homeless

The snow from last weekend's storm was just starting to melt, but now we have been hit with another major storm. Last Saturday, the 28 inches of snow was dry and powdery. However, today the new foot of snow is very heavy and wet. As a result, the homeless are getting very wet feet. Since they do not have access to washers or dryers, and since the shelters only open at night, these homeless people have wet socks that rub on their feet, resulting in severe blisters.
Today I met a man named Michael in this situation. I had him remove his socks, which I threw away, and dry his feet thoroughly. We put bandaids on all his blisters, then gave him dry socks. I gave him plastic bags to tie over his socks, and then he put on his shoes. Unfortunately, this was at noon. He would be out in the snow until 5 pm when he could enter a shelter. I gave him one more pair of dry socks to use the next day.
Because of Michael's story, Mark decided that we would give each guest at dinner tonight a pair of dry socks. We have 9 volunteers from St. Francis Parish in Raleigh, NC with us this week, and they sorted through socks, putting together a bin of clean socks to give away. We see it as such a small gesture, but one that has major consequences.