Entering the Real, Real World (With an SUV full of socks)

I’m from East Quogue - population around 4,500. It feels like half of that in the winter. I’ve gone to private schools my whole life including Boston University from which I recently graduated with a degree in Film and Television. On graduation day, I walked across the stage and grabbed my diploma quickly (they couldn’t take this bad boy back now). The only thing I had to do next was “change the world” according to all of the speeches that day.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m gonna give people socks,” I said as we ate graduation dinner at a cozy restaurant. My first steps into the real world would not be your average ones to say the least.

This summer I worked for the apparel company, No nonsense (catchy, I know). They partnered with the non-profit K.I.D.S. (Kids in Distressed Situations) to give 1,000,000 pairs of socks to people in need across America. Why socks? Well, they’re one of the least donated items to charities but one of the most needed. Where does a Film and Television grad fit in? Well, they chose four teams of two to travel to different regions of the country giving out socks and making a documentary about the whole experience. They called it the "Socks for America" tour.

My teammate/best friend Sarah Kamaras and I drove over 2000 miles to 14 agencies across the northeast giving out socks and learning about organizations doing their part to help those in need. We focused our documentary on homelessness, an issue that we found had many different faces.

In New Jersey we met Carlos, a man who was homeless just a year ago, but now proudly boasts his volunteer shirt as he flips burgers to serve the homeless. In Ohio we met Inesha, a single-mom with three children who wept over the family photos she lost during her house fire. In Chicago we met Fredrick, a homeless youth who, after a shady past, is now working to get his life on track. And in Kentucky we met Courtney, a homeless mother whose most treasured possession is her own hope. Believe me, these are just a few.

This is the real world, a very different version than what I see from my tiny house in East Quogue. People are struggling everyday and they’re doing it with the thickest skin I’ve ever seen. They’re moving forward and rebuilding their lives with the help of some life-changing organizations as well as their own determination.

Our six minute documentary “Rebuilding Tomorrows” focuses on this process of rebuilding. There are many layers but the most important one is that we can all help one another through the process, whether it’s by giving out socks or simply volunteering an hour of our time.

You can view our documentary at facebook.com/nononsense and vote for our film! We will use the winnings to give back to the organizations we met as well as make future documentaries on social issues.

One homeless woman said “We’re all in need,” and in someway we are. What we’ve learned is how much that little bit of help from another person really means, especially to someone who has lost it all.