Tom Costello was once afraid of homeless Americans. That changed seven years ago1 his wife, a volunteer at a homeless shelter, asked him to help with a holiday dinner for shelter residents ( 居 民 ). Costello remembers going to a2 and buying socks for the residents. He knew many of them were in3 of clothing. At the shelter, Costello said, he dropped a pair of4 into a bag for a woman. She asked him5 she could have socks for a friend who wasn't with her that day. He gave6 another pair. "She started to cry and told me that7 had ever given her socks before." Costello said.
That8 at the shelter helped Costello end his fear of the homeless. It also led him to set up a group called The Joy of Sox. The Joy of Sox collects socks from donators and gives them mostly to9 people. It has been expanding its reach. The10 now provides socks to shelters in 21 states and three countries.
11 socks? Costello explained that some Americans gave food, coats and other clothing to shelters. But donating socks was not something12 people thought about. And, he said, socks were very13 at keeping people warm, in cold weather. A man named Kiwi, who has lived in homeless shelters, explained that socks were important to people who spend a lot of time14 . Kiwi said most of the time he could find enough food through shelters and soup kitchens15 socks were much more difficult to get, he noted.
Costello said his hope for "The Joy of Sox" was for it to be the best sock charity in the world.
