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A few years ago, Adina Lichtman was handing out sandwiches on the streets of New York City to help people experiencing homelessness. One man, grateful for the sandwich, approached her and offered a surprising idea.
“It’s great that you’re giving out sandwiches,” he said, “but one thing we really need is socks, especially as winter approaches.”
“Here I was, sandwiches in hand, thinking I knew the best way to help people,” Lichtman said. “It was a powerful lesson, and I wanted to put it into action.”
She began that night, with a simple step: going door-to-door on the floor of her dormitory at New York University, asking her classmates if they could each just donate (捐赠) just one pair of their own socks to someone experiencing homelessness. She got 40 pairs of socks in a single night, from a single floor. The next morning she opened her door to find a lot of socks that other people had donated.
That morning officially kicked off Knock Knock, Give a Sock (KKGS), a new nonprofit (非营利的) organization that has now provided over 350,000 pairs of socks to the homeless across America. To date, over 50 colleges and high schools across the US have joined KKGS over the years.
“While many people donate clothing, 9 out of every 10 clothing donors have never donated socks. On top of that, people who are trying to donate socks often find it difficult to donate used socks,” she says. “KKGS is one of the only organizations that collects used socks. We have volunteers knocking on doors of their classmates in school, of their workmates at work, and even of their neighbors.”
But, whether you’re 26 or 62, you don’t need to wait to organize your own sock drive, collect socks, or even wash and clean some of your own to donate to your local shelter, or someone in need who you meet on the street.
1.How did the homeless man’s words affect Lichtman?
A.They caused her to start KKGS.
B.They pushed her to go to college.
C.They encouraged her to house the homeless.
D.They made her continue to give out sandwiches.
2.How did Lichtman’s classmates react to her request for donation?
A.Some refused it politely.
B.They strongly supported it.
C.Some felt quite surprised by it.
D.They considered it unreasonable.
3.What advice does the author offer to people?
A.Take action in small ways.
B.Start your own organization.
C.Make donations from an early age.
D.Find creative ways to help people.
