In October 2013 Sharon Gilroy-Dreher made her first ask for socks on a Facebook post. It was a happy way to remember her mom and mark what should have been her 80th birthday. Family and friends rose to the challenge and 492 pairs were collected for Out of the Cold shelters. In the years that followed, the entire community wrapped their arms around the annual campaign and by 2019, 130,000+ pairs of new socks had been shared to benefit people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The ToastyToes Waterloo Region Fund was established in 2020, when the annual sock collection pivoted to become a fundraiser. Sharon reached out to agencies that support our most vulnerable neighbours and asked how they’d like to receive socks. They responded that having access to funds, and the flexibility to purchase socks when they needed them, would be best moving forward.

Since inception, the ToastyToes Waterloo Region Fund has raised over $250,000 thanks to our generous community.

2024 grant recipients: A Better Tent City, Cambridge Shelter Corporation, Cambridge Vineyard Christian Fellowship (Urban Hope), Family & Children's Services of the Waterloo Region Foundation, Marillac Place, oneROOF Youth Services, Porchlight Counselling and Addiction Services, Sanguen Health Centre, Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, Starling Child and Family Foundation (Safe Haven Youth Services), The Working Centre, Thresholds Homes and Supports, Tiny Home Takeout - St. Mary's Parish, Wilmot Family Resource Centre, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, and YW Kitchener-Waterloo.

How can you help? By donating the cost of a package of socks, instead of donating physical socks, together we can warm hearts and toes across our Region. Reach out to find out how to host a workplace, team, or group fundraiser. Follow us on social media and help promote the campaign: Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn.

Want to connect with ToastyToes? Contact Sharon at ToastyToesWR@gmail.com. Thank you for continuing to support our vulnerable neighbours!

If you would like to learn more about the ToastyToes Waterloo Region Fund, please contact WRCF at 519-725-1806 or info@wrcf.ca.