SoldierSocks is a 501(3) non-profit organization that provides basic essentials to the men and the women of the United States Armed Forces

United States armed forces

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

 fighting abroad to keep America and the world safe. Founded in 2009 by Financial Services Executive Chris Meek

Chris Meek

Christopher Douglas Meek is a philanthropist and American businessman. Meek is a Financial Services Executive and is the founder and Chairman of START Now! and Soldiersocks. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the and Career Resources...

, the non-profit organization has grown since its inception to also include its partner organization, SoldierSanta

SoldierSanta

SoldierSanta is a 501 non-profit organization that supports United States soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan by shipping holiday gifts during the Christmas and holiday season.- History :...

. SoldierSanta.com shares a similar mission yet its reach extends to include those items special for the holiday season.

History

SoldierSocks got its start in Stamford, Connecticut in 2009. The organization was founded by Financial Services Executive Chris Meek in response to a July 2009 letter from Sergeant Major Luke Converse who requested help in obtaining socks and baby wipes for his Marines

Marines

Marines may refer to :* The plural of Marine , a member of a naval infantry force* Chiba Lotte Marines, a Japanese professional baseball team* "The Marines", an episode of the Adult Swim animated television series, Aqua Teen Hunger Force'People...

 serving in Afghanistan. Upon receipt of this letter, Chris soon formed a 501(c)(3) to help raise funds and gather basic supplies for the troops.
In its first six weeks, Soldier Socks shipped over 1,100 pounds of supplies to Sgt Major Converse and his U.S. Marine Corps unit fighting in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

. As of December 2010, SoldierSocks had shipped over 15 tons of personal hygienic supplies to U.S. Armed Forces serving in Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 and Afghanistan, and to date, the organization has supplied over 35,000 pounds of supplies to American troops fighting overseas.

Partnerships

Since its inception, Soldier Socks has partnered with a host of local organizations in its drive to supply our troops with the basic necessities many Americans take for granted. In addition to local businesses and organizations, elected officials and community leaders have also assisted in this initiative.
Connecticut’s Hope Street Pharmacy was the first local organization who offered to partner with SoldierSocks. After Hope Street Pharmacy, Soldier Socks attracted numerous other partners from the local community including The New Balance

New Balance

New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. , best known as simply New Balance, is a footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company...

 store in New Canaan, CT, Reveal Hair Salon. in Stamford, CT, the Stamford Public Elementary Schools and the Stamford Fire and Police Departments, to name a few. SoldierSocks works with the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49

Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49

Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 49 is a reserve aviation logistics support unit of the United States Marine Corps. They are currently based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York and fall under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 49 and the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing...

 and Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

 out of Stewart Air National Guard Base

Stewart Air National Guard Base

Stewart Air National Guard Base is the home of the 105th Airlift Wing , an Air Mobility Command -gained unit of the New York Air National Guard and "host" wing for the installation...

 in Newburgh, New York.
In November 2009, The Elvis Duran and the Morning Show teamed up with SoldierSocks and pushed the organization onto the national scene via their network of syndicated radio stations in over 30 markets across the country. WWE and Elvis Duran and the Morning Show

Elvis Duran and the Morning Show

Elvis Duran and The Morning Show is the name of an American syndicated radio program hosted by Elvis Duran. The daily morning radio show currently airs on New York Top 40 station Z100...

 helped to collect more than 12,000 pair of socks and 2,500 pounds of supplies.
The Connecticut General Assembly

Connecticut General Assembly

The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...

 partnered with SoldierSocks in December 2009 for a drive at the Connecticut State Capitol

Connecticut State Capitol

The Connecticut State Capitol is located north of Capitol Avenue and south of Bushnell Park in Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. The building houses the Connecticut General Assembly; the upper house, the State Senate, and lower house, the House of Representatives, as well as the office of the...

 building in Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford, Connecticut

Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

. They were able to collect more than 500 pounds of tube socks. Former Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele

Michael Fedele

Michael Fedele is an Italian-American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 107thThe State of Connecticut recognizes Michael Fedele as the 107th Lieutenant Governor, using a standard that had counted Colonial period lieutenants as well as counting lieutenants who had...

 and U.S. Seantor Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman

Joseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...

 have lauded the program along with several other elected and business leaders.
SoldierSocks expanded its reach in the fall of 2010 to include a new initiative with a similar objective. The group created SoldierSanta

SoldierSanta

SoldierSanta is a 501 non-profit organization that supports United States soldiers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan by shipping holiday gifts during the Christmas and holiday season.- History :...

 in an effort to send gifts to the troops for them to open during the holiday season. Corporate sponsors such as Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 Magazine and Cablevision,
SoldierSocks has expanded its original Northeast focus and has held drives countrywide from Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts to Alamo, Texas

Alamo, Texas

Alamo, Texas, in what is nicknamed the "Land of Two Summers," is a town in the irrigated area of southern Hidalgo County, Texas. This town was incorporated in 1924, and it was named for the Alamo Land and Sugar Company, is 240 miles south of the more famous Texas Alamo Mission, and is near the...

 to Hollywood, California. Fundraising efforts have been made by Elementary and High Schools, Colleges and Universities, Cub Scout

Cub Scout

A Cub Scout is a member of the section of the worldwide Scouting movement for young persons, mainly boys normally aged about 7 to 11. In some countries they are known by their original name of Wolf Cubs and are often referred to simply as Cubs. The movement is often referred to simply as Cubbing...

 groups, Boy Scouts of America

Boy Scouts of America

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...

, Girl Scouts of the USA

Girl Scouts of the USA

The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...

, nursing homes, Police and Fire Departments and Fortune 500

Fortune 500

The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...

companies.

External links

Soldier Socks

Soldier Santa