Liverpool charity launches Sock Friday to help keep homeless warm in winter

Liverpool charity Paper Cup Coffee has launched its own version of Black Friday – Sock Friday – to help its homeless customers stay warm and dry in winter.

With bargain-hunting shoppers due to spend millions in Black Friday sales, Paper Cup Coffee wanted to create an appeal that would give people a chance to give a little back too.

They already have a pay it forward scheme which allows anyone buying a hot drink to donate another for a homeless person.

Now Sock Friday means that for every drink that’s banked to be given away, a pair of socks will also be donated by local company, Rise Construction Framework.

The company has been a long-time supporter of the charity and approached them with the offer of match-funding coffees with socks.

Paper Cup founder Michelle Langan explains: “We have worked a lot with Rise since we started the coffee shop and they came to us with this idea for this winter.

“We decided to launch it on Black Friday because everyone’s thinking about what to buy for Christmas and this is giving them something else to think about and a chance to buy for someone else too.

“We thought it would be nice to have something which is about giving around Black Friday as well as getting some bargains for yourself.

“Socks are the thing our homeless customers ask for most, so we constantly need more.

“Everyone knows what it’s like in this weather when it’s wet and cold, if you’re feet get wet it’s nice to be able to come inside and take your wet socks off.

“If you’re homeless you don’t have that luxury of changing your socks and getting them dried. That’s why we always like to have socks to give out to people because if they’ve got wet feet they can get all kinds of problems and it’s impossible to get properly warm.”

The Sock Friday appeal will run from Black Friday, November 29, until Saturday December 14, and all people have to do to take part is buy a pay it forward drink at Paper Cup Coffee in Queen Square.

Papercup Coffee Woman in Black — Papercup Coffee

Every donation over that time will be added up and when the appeal closes, Rise Construction Framework will donate the equivalent in socks.

Dan Ross from Rise Construction Framework says: “Paper Cup Coffee provides an important service and we wanted to support their work by encouraging people to buy a pay it forward coffee. Rise providing a new pair of socks with each pay it forward coffee will help the city’s homeless stay warm this Christmas.”

Alongside Sock Friday, the charity is also running its annual Christmas gift appeal, so customers can give presents like chocolate, hats and gloves for a homeless person by buying a £5, £10 or £15 package.

Michelle adds: “Before we close on Christmas Eve we make sure we’ve got presents to give out to our homeless customers because for a lot of them that will be the only present they get.”