2 MILLION PAIRS. A NEED WE WISH DIDN’T EXIST.
2 MILLION PAIRS. A MILESTONE WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR. A NEED WE WISH DIDN’T EXIST.
Ahead of World Homeless Day and Thanksgiving, Socks 4 Souls Canada reaches two million pairs of new socks distributed to people experiencing homelessness across Ontario
Socks 4 Souls Canada has reached an extraordinary milestone: two million pairs of new socks distributed to people experiencing homelessness across Ontario through shelters, outreach programs and community organizations.
The milestone comes ahead of World Homeless Day on October 10 and Thanksgiving weekend, at a time when homelessness continues to rise dramatically across the province.
What began in 2015 with five friends around a Toronto dinner table has grown into a grassroots, primarily volunteer-powered charity working with more than 150 frontline partners across Ontario.
It is a milestone the organization is enormously grateful to have reached — and one it wishes had never been necessary.
“Two million pairs represents thousands of people who decided they could do something to help,” said April Watts, Managing Director of Socks 4 Souls Canada. “We are incredibly grateful for every donor, volunteer, school, company and community organization that helped get us here. But we’d be much happier if the need for those two million pairs didn’t exist.”
The Need Remains Extraordinary
Nearly 85,000 Ontarians were known to be experiencing homelessness in 2025 — a staggering 49% increase since 2021.
The growth is being felt across the province. In 2025, rural communities saw a 31% increase in homelessness in just one year, while Northern Ontario experienced an increase of 37.3%.
In Toronto, 12,196 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in October 2025, compared with approximately 7,300 in 2021.
For someone experiencing homelessness, a clean pair of socks can mean much more than warmth and comfort. Healthy feet and mobility can mean being able to walk to a shelter, get a hot meal, attend a medical appointment, pursue a work opportunity or access other essential services.
Something as simple as a new pair of socks can help someone keep moving forward.
From Five Friends to Two Million Pairs
What started as a simple idea in 2015 has grown into an Ontario-wide network of more than 150 shelters, outreach programs and community organizations.
Socks 4 Souls Canada remains grassroots and primarily volunteer-powered, helping ensure new socks get directly into the hands of people who need them.
“Our frontline partners are doing incredibly difficult work every day,” Watts said. “Our role is to make sure something as basic as a new pair of socks is there when it’s needed.”
Two Million Reasons to Say Thank You
As Canadians head into Thanksgiving weekend, Socks 4 Souls Canada is using the milestone to recognize the thousands of people who made it possible.
Individual donors. Volunteers. Schools. Community groups. Businesses. Shelter and outreach workers. Corporate partners. And long-time supporters such as Gertex Canada.
Together, they have helped turn a simple act of giving into two million pairs of socks distributed to people across Ontario.
But the work is far from finished.
With homelessness continuing to rise, Socks 4 Souls Canada is asking Ontarians to help make sure frontline organizations have the socks they need in the months ahead.