By: Angelina Kaliszak

In the year of 2020, we have all had to adapt to the circumstances regarding the corona virus pandemic. It has changed the way we all do things both personally and professionally. When it comes to giving back, there has been no exception. As our world has changed, JMG PR saw an opportunity to give back to the NYC community through launching a virtual sock drive called, “Rock Your Socks.” Throughout the month of November, every pair of JMG PR branded socks purchased from our merch website, we will be donating a pair to those in need through the organization Knock Knock Give A Sock (KKGS). KKGS is a New York City based charity that focuses on in-person sock donations to those experiencing homelessness. 

"New York City is a huge part of who we are as an agency and we can see firsthand the rise in homeless individuals simply by walking outside,” said Jenna Guarneri, Founder and CEO of JMG PR. “We knew when launching a charity initiative that KKGS was the charity we wanted to partner with. Their cause creates a positive impact on the community and it provides support to our very own neighbors.” 

We are offering two styles of socks for purchase on our website. One pair will be a white knee high sock featuring pink stripes and pink lettering “#SecretLifeofaPRGirl” available for $7.50. The other pair of socks will be a black ankle sock featuring white “JMGPR” lettering available for $5.50. It’s a buy one, give one concept and we couldn’t be happier to help! This virtual sock drive allows anyone with an internet connection to get involved and give back while adhering to social distancing guidelines.

Adina Lichtman, the CEO and founder of Knock Knock Give A Sock, first came up with the idea for KKGS when passing out sandwiches to those experiencing homelessness while an undergrad student at NYU. As she handed out the sandwiches, one of the recipients said that they were happy to receive the sandwich, however what they really needed was a new pair of socks. After much discussion Adina found out that, “socks are the most needed but least donated article of clothing for our neighbors in need.” When she came back to her dorm room, she knocked on everyone’s door asking if they could donate a pair of socks for her to give to those in need. By the end of the night she had piles of socks outside of her dorm room door for her to distribute to the less fortunate, this is where KKGS was born. Since then Adina has been able to donate over 1,507,660 pairs of socks with the help of her neighbors, student lead service organizations, and corporate partnerships.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, KKGS used to host sock drives throughout various offices in NYC and would hire neighbors living in homeless shelters to help KKGS distribute donated socks all over the city. As well as host a “meet your neighbors dinner” which gave the opportunity to members of the community to share a meal with those experiencing homelessness. These dinners fostered community engagement by effectively turning the transaction of donating socks into an interaction that further humanizes homelessness. Adina shares, “Unfortunately, now that all these different offices are working remotely, it is way more difficult to coordinate sock drives throughout the city.” 

We are anticipating a great turn out for the sock drive and are looking forward to launching the Rock Your Socks campaign on November 10th, 2020.

Adina is excited for the sock drive to launch and said, “Thank you JMG for thinking of us during this time and helping us to keep our neighbors' feet warm this season!”

Additional ways to help KKGS can be found on their website www.KnockKnockGiveaSock.org 

To purchase socks, please visit our JMG PR merch store!