Grant Application Spring

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Organization:
Socks 4 Souls Canada

Charitable Registration Number:
75862 6527 RR0001

Name of Fund being applied to:
Smart and Caring Communities Fund

Address:
​2100 Bloor St. W, Suite 6292
Toronto, Ontario M6S 5A5

Contact Name:
Steve White

Title:
Development Manager

Email:
swhite@socks4soulscanada.com

Phone Number:
9059034799

Website:
https://Socks4SoulsCanada.com

Amount Requested:
1800

About the organization:

Socks 4 Souls Canada is a volunteer-run charity that provides clean, new socks at no cost to shelters, outreach teams, and frontline agencies serving people experiencing homelessness and extreme poverty. We help meet one of the most requested but often overlooked basic needs, protecting foot health, comfort, and dignity. Through long-term wholesale partnerships and efficient distribution, we deliver socks at low cost so community organizations can direct more of their limited resources toward food, shelter, and other urgent supports.

Proposed Project Start Date:
June 1, 2026

Proposed Project End Date:
September 25, 2026

Please briefly describe the project and how the funds will be used:

Socks 4 Souls Canada is requesting $1,800 to support our purchase and distribution of 6,000 clean, new pairs of socks to shelters and outreach teams serving people experiencing homelessness in the Orillia area. In 2025 with the support of the CFOA, we distributed over 6,200 pairs of socks and were able to respond to this particular harsh winter.
Funds will be used directly to purchase socks for local distribution at no cost to frontline agencies with none of these fund being used for our internal admin costs. This support will help protect foot health, comfort, and dignity while allowing local organizations to preserve more of their limited resources for food, shelter, and other urgent needs.

How many people will benefit from the project directly and indirectly within the geographic area covered by the CFOA:

We estimate 300–400 people in the Orillia area will benefit directly through regular access to clean, new socks, with an additional 500+ people benefiting indirectly through stronger shelter, outreach, and meal-program capacity as agencies can redirect scarce resources toward food and other urgent supports.

Please list any partnerships and collaborations for this project:

Our main recipient of socks is The Lighthouse, however we have supported the Busby Centre and Green Haven during peak times. Generally funding for supporting Busby has come from other funding sources as they are located in Barrie, but we do know that the unhoused population does seek support from other shelters, even when they are primarily based in one city.

Please describe any in kind contributions/volunteer labour connected to this project:

This project is supported by significant volunteer leadership and in-kind contributions. Socks 4 Souls Canada is volunteer-run, with board members and other volunteers helping coordinate fundraising, community outreach, partner relationships, and distribution planning. We also receive in-kind support through donated socks collected from community fundraisers and school sock drives, as well as volunteer labour at our annual sock-sorting event, where dozens of volunteers help sort and pack new socks for distribution. These contributions help keep our operating costs low and ensure more funding goes directly to community impact.

How will success be evaluated?

Success will be evaluated by tracking the number of pairs of socks distributed, the number of local shelters and outreach teams receiving support, and feedback from frontline partners on community need and impact. For this project, our goal is to deliver 3,600 pairs of socks in the Orillia area and ensure they reach the agencies serving people experiencing homelessness most directly. We will also assess success by whether the project helps local organizations preserve more of their limited resources for food, shelter, and other urgent supports.

Grant Request Budget

Item:
New socks

Description ( if applicable):
Purchase and delivery to local shelters

$ Amount:
3000

Total Expenses:
2500

Project Funding

Item:
Socks 4 Souls Annual Fundraiser

Description ( if applicable):
Funds confirmed

$ Amount:
1200

Amount Requested from CFOA:
1800

Total Income:
3000

Budget Summary

Total Project Expenses:
3000

Total Project Income:
3000

Attachments

File Upload:
https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTQ2NXxmaWxlbmFtZTpTNFNDLUYyMDI0LUZpbmFuY2lhbC1TdGF0ZW1lbnRzLTEtZHJhZ2dlZC5wZGY=, https://www.communityfoundationorillia.ca/frm_file/aWQ6MTQ2NnxmaWxlbmFtZTpTNFNDLUJvYXJkLUxpc3QucGRm

Name:
Steve White

Title:
Development Manager

Signature:

Date:
04/17/2026