Dartmouth woman sets out to collect 100 pairs of socks for homeless shelters -- ends up with more than 3,000

DARTMOUTH, N.S. -

Mary Crosby set out with a modest goal of collecting 100 pairs of socks for shelters in Halifax.

She set the bar a little low and she now has more than 3,000 pairs in bins.

With encouragement from her daughter, Crosby started a Facebook group to knit socks for Halifax-area shelters.

"On Jan. 1, I put it out there, any of my knitting friends would like to join a group and then a couple pair of socks throughout the year, my goal is 100 pairs of socks," Crosby said.

But non-knitters wanted to help too, so Mary started accepting donations.

Now, one wall in her spare bedroom is covered floor to ceiling by bins filled with socks.

"I’ve logged, right from Day 1, who donated, how many pairs they’ve donated and what the total is afterwards," Crosby said.

That total currently sits at 3,171.

"Speechless, I am and I’m not a speechless person, I’m a pretty talkative person, but I’m absolutely blown away by this whole thing," Crosby said.

Crosby still has about three months before delivering them to the three shelters she is supporting.

Bryony house, the Nova Scotia Shelter Society and Souls Harbour Rescue Mission.

"Socks are the most basic thing," says Michelle Porter the CEO of Souls Harbour Rescue Mission. "Can you imagine living most of your life walking everywhere. A very important thing you need for hygiene is clean socks and dry socks."

The project is a bit personal for Crosby who says her efforts are a way to give back to the charities that helped her earlier in life.

"I was in Bryony House over 20 years ago and they were there when I needed them and I’ve always been thankful of that," Crosby said.

And that gives her a warm feeling from her head, right down to her feet.