giving back: art after dark & socktober donations
At The Sock Drawer, one of our values is to give back to our community in whatever magical ways we can, big or small. Let’s check in with the sock fairies on a couple of recent community activities we’ve been so proud to be a part of!
Art After Dark
On the first Friday of each month in our hometown of San Luis Obispo, California, downtown businesses open their doors into the evening and display works of art alongside their normal goods and services. The free Art After Dark events encourage folks who are walking around downtown to pause for a moment and enjoy beautiful, intriguing works by the best of established and emerging local artists, as well as the occasional internationally acclaimed artist.
Our downtown shop has happily joined in on Art After Dark for the last few months, featuring artwork by our very own sock fairy Lisa Osburn on two occasions and local artist Jami Ray another time, both shown in the images above. The arts in general are near and dear to our hearts, and Art After Dark has been such a fun way to spread that love!
This coming Friday, Oct. 4, we’re so proud to partner with two fantastic local nonprofit groups called RISE SLO and Stand Strong. The groups provide services to survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence and their loved ones. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so the groups have gathered artwork from individuals personally affected by these issues to display in our shop during Art After Dark.
The Sock Drawer is a proud woman-owned business that has supported similar causes in our community for many years, and we are honored to tie this cause in with Art After Dark. If you’re in the area, we would love for you to pop into our shop on Friday to check it out. We personally can’t wait to see the artwork! Learn more here.
Socktober
Have you ever heard of Socktober? Started in Arkansas in 2011, this fabulous cause has become a bit of a nationwide phenomenon. During the month of October, sock drives are held by different groups around the country to benefit homeless services centers. Socks are frequently listed as the No. 1 most-requested item at homeless shelters, and health and safety regulations often prevent donations of used socks, so new pairs are needed.
In our area, the Templeton Unified School District is one group collecting socks for donation, and we’re happy to do our small part by hooking them up with 50 new pairs of fun novelty socks for their drive.
If you’re in a position to do so, we’d encourage you to consider donating socks to homeless services providers in your own area during Socktober. Learn more here.
We’re so happy that we get the opportunity to support causes such as the arts, intimate partner violence awareness, homeless services and more. If you ever have a cause you’d like us to know about, feel free to reach out to us at donations@sockdrawer.com!
Meanwhile, the sock fairies are also wing-deep in holiday socks right now! Be sure to show yourself a little love by taking a spin through these fun collections as we flit into the busy holiday season!