Dobby Sock Drive Collects Donations for Local Women’s Shelter
By Maya Douglas | Observer Contributor
The Dobby Sock Drive will be held December 9th and 10th in the Student Center for anyone who wishes to give back as the holiday season approaches. According to Vanessa Roberto, president of the Parent Support Group, who is organizing the event, the socks will be donated to a local women’s shelter. Anyone who donates is eligible to win Harry Potter-themed prizes.
All proceeds will be donated to a local women’s shelter located in Leominster. The program provides housing for recovering addicts and young single mothers. According to Roberto, when she met with some of the women at this shelter, they told her one thing they truly needed was socks. The shelter is very similar to a group home, so items, particularly clothing, frequently go missing or get stolen.
Roberto said that she was touched by this story and proposed the idea to her coworkers. She is calling the fundraiser the Dobby Sock Drive because of the symbolism behind Dobby’s character in the Harry Potter series. All Harry did was give Dobby a sock, but by doing so, he set Dobby free.
Roberto said it may seem like a little thing, but that small acts can have a huge effect on these others. She also said that socks are in high demand at these sober houses, and most of the women at the shelter cannot have jobs.
Roberto said these women are taking responsibility for their decisions and are now looking to improve their future. She has even seen some of them walking to their Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous meetings first thing in the morning and taking their babies with them because they cannot afford childcare.
“I personally think addiction is a disease,” Roberto said. “A lot of people turn a blind eye to people who don’t have a certain appeal.” Roberto believes that if we show others we do not look down on people because of their struggles, it will help remove the stigma that addiction is a choice.
Roberto wants to bring in enough donations so that each of the women in the program and their children can have two pairs of socks. She said too many people pass judgement and get caught up on the idea that they are donating their hard-earned money. She argues that people cannot possibly understand the struggles of others until they have gone through it themselves or lost everything just like these women have.
This fundraiser will consist of a raffle. Donating one pair of socks, both adult and/or for a small child, earns one ticket. A pack of socks earns five tickets and a donation of two packs receives ten tickets. Raffle tickets can also be purchased for cash dontions: one for $2, six for $5, or twelve for $10.
Roberto said that the college does a lot for the community, but she feels it is important to do something a little bit different and outside the box to help others.
“People are so quick to have empathy, but what are you doing to help them?” Roberto challenges. She said that it does not take much to simply be a nice person. Sometimes all it takes is one act of kindness to change the course of someone’s life.
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