NZ strong wool socks may soon help Ukrainians cope with winter on top of war

Chris Childerhouse wears a pair of socks similar to those he wants to send to Ukraine. Photo / Supplied / Chris Childerhouse

RNZ

A Wellington man is aiming to send a minimum of 1000 pairs of New Zealand strong-wool socks to Ukraine to help locals cope with freezing temperatures.

Chris Childerhouse hit on the idea late last year when he could see how desperate conditions were following Russia’s invasion - just this week Kyiv has been recording minus 7degC.

He said New Zealand has a proud history of strong-wool production and wool socks seemed an obvious gift to send.

“That’s probably as complex as it got, and I just thought if we can get wool products over there they could probably use them,” he said.

The campaign is called SOS - Send Our Socks - and it aims to get $20,000 worth of product to fill a pallet.

Childerhouse said a New Zealand aid organisation Mahi for Ukraine was also backing the idea.

The socks will be made by NZ Sock Company in Ashburton.

“They’ll be air freighted from Christchurch to Poland and from Poland transported to the border by truck.

“From there they will be met by a couple recommended by Mahi in Ukraine. They run deliveries over the border into Ukraine, and they will distribute them to people who need them,” he said.

The socks will mostly be the thicker strong-wool style sock in a variety of colours and sizes.

Donations through a Give A Little page close in just under two weeks and Childerhouse said the socks will be sent as quickly as possible after that.

- RNZ