A handful of seniors at 91原创 Seniors Village are Sock Grannies in their own right.
Every year, Retirement Concepts honours a former resident and a woman dubbed the Sock Granny, Barbara Vance.
The 77-year-old woman, a former resident at the company鈥檚 assisted living facility in Vancouver, founded a sock drive four years ago aimed at helping the society鈥檚 most vulnerable 鈥� those who are homeless and struggling with mental illness, explained Dr. Azim Jamal, president and CEO of Retirement Concepts.
鈥淓ven though our Sock Granny is no longer staying with us, she has created a legacy that continues to live on 鈥� one that makes an impactful difference on the lives of many British Columbians,鈥� Jamal said.
In years past, she and her sock soldiers collected and donated in excess of 400 pairs annually.
Now in its fifth year, the Sock Granny campaign continues to grow, expanding beyond just a sock drive to include toques and other winter garments and accessories.
Vance鈥檚 vision lives on locally, as well, said Sheri Brown, director of marketing for the 91原创 Seniors Village assisted-living facility on 65th Avenue.
A number of residents share Vance鈥檚 desire to help, and started collecting donations as well as knitting winter woolies back in November, Brown explained.
They are prepared next week to hand over a variety of brand new and handmade items, including close to 100 toques, 116 pairs of socks, four women鈥檚 fleece hoodies, five men鈥檚 hoodies, and a few pair of gloves.
鈥淎bout half of the knitted items were hand made by residents鈥� of the Willoughby facility, said Brown.
鈥淭he residents at 91原创 Seniors Village embrace this cause every year, they look forward to helping out those that need a little extra warmth this Christmas season,鈥� she added.
This coming Monday, the donations will be delivered to the Salvation Army鈥檚 Gateway of Hope.
鈥淭he Sock Granny showed that no matter what stage of life you are in, your actions can have a positive impact on your community. We recognized that her important legacy had to be continued, and we hope to keep it going for many years to come,鈥� Jamal added.
Even though existing donations are being delivered to the 91原创 shelter next week, collection bins will remain at Retirement Concept facilities throughout the month of December to accept donations of socks, toques, and more.
For a list of Retirement Concept locations go to .
