United Way Distributes $1 Million Worth of Socks to 100 Nonprofit Agencies Across the NY Metro Area
Nanuet, NY (July 21, 2020) – A million dollars’ worth of socks was gifted to thousands of individuals and families in need thanks to a corporate and nonprofit partnership in the New York Metropolitan area.
On Monday, July 20, the United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) in partnership with The Building Blocks Foundation, a nonprofit that helps homeless children in New York City, and Bombas, comfort-focused apparel brand with a mission to help those in need, distributed 100,000 pairs of socks to 100 not-for-profit agencies across the metro area.
“This partnership was a match made in heaven,’’ said Tom Gabriel, President and CEO of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. “Thanks to the generosity of Bombas and the resourcefulness of The Building Blocks Foundation and our team at United Way, thousands of people across the region will have the luxury of having something so basic, but so essential, to make their lives a little more comfortable.”
For The Building Blocks Foundation founder and CEO, Jay Mota, partnering with UWWP provided a silver lining to the public health emergency. “We usually work with the New York City schools to distribute the Bombas socks to children in need, but with the COVID-19 pandemic we had to change the way we reached the students,” he explained. “By working with the United Way of Westchester and Putnam we were able to connect with organizations that help families in need in both New York City and Westchester County. It has been an incredible partnership.”
Bombas was pleased with the opportunity to work with UWWP also.
“We remain inspired by the tireless work of United Way of Westchester and Putnam,” said Bombas VP of Giving Kelly Cobb. “Their ability to respond to their community in times of uncertainty is noteworthy. We’re so grateful for all that they do and are proud to call them a Bombas Giving Partner.”
As part of its mission, Bombas donates a specially-designed item for every item sold. To date, they have donated more than 35 million items to those in need with the help of more than 3,000 Giving Partners comprised of homeless shelters and community organizations.
A truck carrying more than 400 boxes of Bombas donation socks arrived at the U-Haul Storage in Nanuet on Monday morning, and before 2 p.m. most of the socks had found a home among grateful organizations.
More than 100 organizations in the metro area benefitted from the distributions including those in The Bronx, Harlem, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains and Peekskill serving the homeless, low-income families with children and others. Among the organizations were:
NYC
The Children’s Village
Midnight Run
NYC Police Athletic League
Rockland
Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center
Rockland Community Action Program
Westchester
Hope Community Services
The Guidance Center of Westchester
Westhab
WestCOP
YWCA Yonkers
“At Hope Community Services we are serving more than 5,000 families a month since the start of COVID-19 and through the generous help of United Way of Westchester and Putnam we have been able to provide not just food but essential goods such as these socks,” said Benito Ceja, program manager at Hope Community Services in New Rochelle.
United Way of Westchester and Putnam has increased its donations during the pandemic, announcing two rounds of grants totaling more than $1 million to not-for-profits. It recently gave away more than $50,000 in toys, school supplies and other goods to Westchester Parks Foundation’s Camp Morty for underprivileged children, and more than 150 mattresses to Westhab’s transitional housing program in Yonkers.
