Barbara Barnhart, Wesleyan’s new coordinator for leadership and volunteerism, has started several service projects on campus, including the Trinity Trash Bash.

Her newest project, Socktober, a sock drive for the homeless, began Oct. 1 and runs through the end of the month.

Socktober is sponsored by Student Life. People can bring their socks to donation bins in the Brown-Lupton Campus Center Lobby. The socks will be donated to Fort Worth’s Center for Transforming Lives, Barnhart wrote in an email.

 “I’m really excited about it,” Barnhart said. “Every act of kindness builds up and creates a better experience for everybody. For me it’s just another way we can show that we care about others.”

Barnhart was inspired to do the sock drive because of a certain YouTuber.

“Kid President is a YouTube sensation and he has all these videos about being a leader and being president and it’s very uplifting,” Barnhart said. “He partnered with an additional company and started the whole Socktober campaign. It’s a nationwide campaign that’s helping to donate to the homeless.”

Sophomore music major Alicia Smith also agrees with the cause and said she’s done similar drives.

“Yeah, I think it’s a really positive thing,” said Smith. “I know my church did something similar to it except they we’re donating coats. Especially this time of year I think it’s (donating socks is) important.”

Like Smith, freshmen engineering major Alec Turner also wants to help the homeless.

“It sounds like something that’s for a good cause,” said Turner. “I’d love to help if I could. I think it’s a pretty cool cause. I’m always up for helping people.”

Smith thinks Socktober is a good cause. However, she feels the word needs to be spread a bit more.

“I think they obviously need to step up the advertising a bit,” said Smith. “I mean I’m just one person but I feel like not a lot of people know about it. I think maybe if they get advertising for it, it might be a lot better.”

While the drive was featured in the Ram Life newsletters, it isn’t sponsored by any specific Student Life organization. Barnhart may not have the greatest advertising, but she does have a goal.

“Every little bit helps,” she said. “I think I made a personal goal. I’m hoping to at least get 50 pairs but I think whatever we give is going to be enough. I’m okay with whatever that number is.”

Barnhart doesn’t have specific regulations on the socks except she wants them to be new to encourage participation.

“Personally my stance on service is it’s something everybody can do,” Barnhart said. “It’s something everyone can partake in and even something as small as donating a pair of socks can make a world of a difference.”

For more information on Socktober, call 817-531-6522.