Six-year-old girl spends spring break collecting socks for Winnipeg charities

A young girl is using her precious spring break time to collect new socks in the hopes no one jumps into puddles without a pair.

Braelyn Nurse, 6, has started a sock drive that will see clean pairs donated to a dozen United Way partner agencies.

"[I'm doing it] to help people. Because in the springtime there's lots of puddles and if people jump in the puddles [and]they don't have any socks on, their feet will get wet."

This isn't the first clothing drive the young Winnipegger has done, says her aunt Shania Pruden.

When Braelyn was five, she asked people to donate clothing instead of buying her presents on her birthday, and did the same thing on her sixth birthday. All the clothing was donated to United Way charities or to their Koats for Kids program.

"This year we thought that socks would be a lot easier to handle, 'cause there was a lot in our storage room and socks would be easier to maintain," said Pruden.

"People don't realize that something as simple as a pair of socks can make all the difference."

Clean socks aren't generally the first thing people think of when donating clothing to charity, she said.

This kind of community involvement runs in the family, said Pruden, who is an Indigenous activist and speaker.

"I like to say that my whole family's involved with community work, so my mom and stepdad are also involved with The Bear Clan," said Pruden.

Braelyn enjoys helping at events with The Bear Clan and participating in rallies advocating for families involved with honouring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, she added.

"[Braylen knows]if she can be there to support and stand in solidarity, she knows that she is making a difference in their life."

When asked how collecting things for people who are struggling made her feel, Braelyn responded with a simple answer.

"Happy," she said.

Socks can be donated at the United Way office on Main Street during business hours, or people can email braelynclothingdrive@outlook.com for pickup.