Socks

Louise, Randi's former boss from her internship at Wingate's PR office is now the head of PR for the Charlotte Red Cross. The Red Cross has set up a shelter for Katrina evacuees at the Charlotte Coliseum, so Louise called her yesterday to see if we could help filling media requests, taking photos etc. Randi's voicemail is kind of screwy, so she didn't get the message until today.

Randi called her back, but kept getting her voicemail, so we decided to just head down there and see what we could do. Before we left, I packed up a few bags of clothes I don't need or don't wear to take with me. When we got there, streams of people were coming and going, dropping off donations of water, clothes, etc. The woman overseeing the clothing donations said they really needed socks. A woman who had come in behind me said she had socks, and the Red Cross woman turned a tiny old man beside her, who was an evacuee, and said, "You needed socks, didn't you?"

"I desperately need socks," the man responded in earnest, taking the outstreched socks with a look of complete gratitude. Later, Randi and I were outside, trying to find Louise, and we saw the little old man again, wearing a pair of too-big jeans held up by a slightly worn belt.

A news reporter nearby began talking to him. The conversation went as follows:
News reporer - "We talked to you earlier--did you find some clothes?"
Old man - "Yes. And I got some socks. (Pulls up too large jeans to show reporter). And I have two more pair inside."

The man sounded like a kid telling his friends what he got for Christmas. No one should have to be that happy to have clean, dry socks. I almost lost it, and had to walk away to wipe my eyes.