By Glenn Rolfe

DOVER — Holy Cross School recently delivered some welcome warmth to bolster Code Purple’s efforts to help the homeless.

Among the activities for students, families and the community during the Dover school’s celebration of National Catholic Schools Week, 660 pairs of socks were collected as part of a commitment to community service.

The school, which serves 325 students in pre-K3 to eighth grade, donated the socks Feb. 5 to Code Purple Delaware in Kent County. It marked the second year the school has aided the organization, with 600 pairs donated in 2020.

“They (Code Purple) are always so appreciative. You don’t always think of something as simple as socks that the less fortunate might need,” said Holy Cross School spokesperson Jill Zink. “We’re always really happy to donate to them.”

All socks collected and donated were brand-new. “Most were adult-size socks, but I did see a few kid-sized bags of socks. We got all age groups — men’s and women’s socks,” Ms. Zink said.

The sock drive was part of the weeklong celebration that spanned Jan. 31-Feb. 5. The week’s theme was “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” It highlighted the school’s focus on faith development, academic excellence and dedication to community service.

And as a reward, students who donated a pair of socks were permitted to wear silly socks to school with their uniforms on Silly Sock Day, Feb. 4.

Each year, the Holy Cross School Religion Committee organizes events during National Catholic Schools Week. This year’s celebration differed, due to the pandemic.

“This year was very different because of COVID. Normally, we have parties and schoolwide events, but, this year, it was kind of individually done in the classroom,” said Ms. Zink. “Because the kids wear uniforms every day, that week is a big week to just kind of go crazy. They had Silly Hat Day. The sock drive was part of Silly Sock Day.”

Other activities included Dress Down Day, Teacher Appreciation Day and a breakfast served to the school clergy, Ms. Zink said.

As part of this year’s sock drive, students turned in socks to their homeroom teachers and then students in the eighth grade collected them. Kindergarten students even used them for a math lesson, counting by the hundreds.

“I just couldn’t get over the different kinds of socks. It was a fun day,” Ms. Zink said. “And we enjoy doing it because then we get to count the socks and figure out how many we are going to donate to Code Purple.”

The National Catholic Educational Association is the official sponsor of National Catholic Schools Week. During the week, nearly 6,500 Catholic schools across the country celebrate.