MONROE, CT — Monroe Rotary Club members expected to collect 2,200 pairs of socks for those in need during their annual Soctober drive, but a key connection allowed them to more than double their haul.
Rotarians loaded up a pickup truck with bags containing over 4,500 pairs of socks destined for local charities.
Monroe Rotary President Dennis Condon said the executive director of Ocean State Job Lot’s Boston headquarters, fellow Rotarian David Sarlitto, worked with the supply chain to add to the 1,100 pairs of socks Monroe’s club collected, then drove the socks to town himself.
Among the initial beneficiaries were clients of Homes for the Brave, victims of abuse helped by The Center for Family Justice and those seeking a leg up against homelessness and hunger from the Bridgeport Rescue Mission.
The rotarians later expanded the good will to include Spooner House in Shelton, Beth-El Center in Milford, the Stratford Homeless Shelter, the Thomas Merton Center in Bridgeport, Operation Hope, Integrated Refugees and Immigration Services (IRIS) and the Monroe Food Pantry.
Condon said the Rotary Club of Monroe also donated $500 to Project Warmth, which assists town residents with home heating and other utilities.
