Socktober sock drive raising awareness of Alberta’s growing opioid issue

Edmonton -

A local organization is hoping to raise awareness about the growing opioid epidemic in Alberta, while collecting donations for our city’s most vulnerable.

Socktober by Healing Hearts is aiming to collect 1334 pairs of socks in the month of October – that’s the number of opioid-related deaths Alberta saw in 2020.

“We often hear a number and we don’t put much thought behind it,” Rebecca Rummery with Healing Hearts said. “It’s a high number, but when we have an item to show how many lives have been affected, it really hits home a lot more. So we want to have that visual representation, but we also want to give back.”

Healing Hearts is a branch of Moms Stop the Harm that provides support to those who have lost a loved one to substance use related harms.

“We find it almost therapeutic to get together and do activities for the community,” Rummery said. Her partner died of an accidental drug overdose in 2018. “We know the homeless population is sometimes forgotten about and something as simple as a sock can be really important, and make their day. Especially with the weather getting colder we wanted to do something to support the community.”

Between January and July of this year, 898 Albertans have died of a drug overdose. Of those, 821 deaths were due to opioid poisoning.

Rummery says Thanksgiving weekend marks the start of the holiday season, an especially difficult time for those who have lost a loved one.

“We’re missing a loved one at our table. There’s that really empty void right now,” she said. “So doing something to give back and to help others is just so important.”

Socks can be dropped off at locations in Edmonton and the surrounding area. More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page, or you can email [e-mail] to arrange a pickup.