Flemington students collect socks for Sandy victims
December 7, 2012 by Mark
Superstorm Sandy impacted the lives of many in New Jersey and the surrounding states at the end of October. The storm’s impact was so great that many felt a need to help out.
Students at Robert Hunter Elementary School in Flemington, who returned to school last month, were among those who were eager to help in any way they could. After brainstorming for a bit, the school’s nurse, Tommie Lou Judson, had the perfect idea.
Judson came up with the idea of collecting socks for victims of the Superstorm. She chose a sock drive over anything else for several reasons. For one thing, socks are an affordable item for the families of students to purchase. They are also lightweight and easy for a child to bring along to school. Plus, Judson reasoned, socks are something that elementary aged students can relate to and are physical objects that make it easy for students to see what and how much they are giving.
The students created posters themselves to advertise the sock drive. They also decorated a large cardboard box that served as the collection box for the socks.
The initial goal was to collect 450 pairs of socks, or one pair donated per student at the school. By the end of the sock drive, they had easily surpassed their goal, collecting a total of 850 pairs. In the end, the collected socks were donated to the local United Way, which distributed them to Sandy victims. Flemington stationery printers could be called upon to create a certificate recognizing the efforts of the elementary school and its generous students.