MIDDLESEX, N.J. (PIX11) — One community hopes to prove that a small gesture can have a big impact.
"It's part of what we should be doing as patriots of our Country," said Middlesex Borough Police Chief Matthew Geist. "A pair of socks seems so simple, but it's a sought-after personal item for at-risk and veterans who are homeless or struggling to make ends meet."
For the first time, Middlesex Borough Police is collecting new socks to put in bags of personal items for veterans in need.
According to Veterans Data Central, HUD estimates there are nearly 500 homeless vets in New Jersey and more than 68,000 veterans in New Jersey living in homes with problems of quality, crowding or cost.
Groups like the American Legion in Middlesex and the Elks Lodge in Stirling are partnering with Middlesex Police to assemble and distribute the bags.
"We really kind of go into an overdrive where we're trying to get them assistance as quickly as possible," said Richard Sturtevant, an Army veteran and member of Post 306. "The veterans, in their preamble, state, 'Community, State and Nation,' and our community, where we start at, is very important to us because we try to give back as much as we can to our community."
"These people provided so much for the United States, for our safety, for our security, and advanced us and kept us safe for however long they served, and it's just important that we pay that back at some point," said Geist.
If you're interested in donating, you can drop off or mail your items to Middlesex Police at 1101 Mountain Avenue, Middlesex, NJ 08846, through April 24. You can also drop off donations at the American Legion Post 306 on April 3, 10, 17 and 24.
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