Abbotsford Regional Hospital (AHR) was among hospitals across the province that were the recent recipients of socks for 3,300 dialysis patients through the Kidney Foundation.
The foundation was recently selected as one of the Aviva Community Fund’s small idea winners and received $10,000 to purchase socks for every dialysis patient in B.C.
The campaign was called Warm the Sole, and almost 300 pairs of socks were delivered in Abbotsford: 170 to hemodialysis clinic patients, 40 to peritoneal dialysis patients, and 80 to Abbotsford Community Dialysis patients.
One of the AHR patients expressed her gratitude for the gift.
“Thank you for thinking about us. This is a very nice pair of sock, especially in the cold winter months,” she said.
Pia Schindler, executive director of the Kidney Foundation, said one of the ways that the agency supports kidney patients is by providing comfort items.
“We know patients undergoing dialysis endure many side effects, one being that their feet can often get cold,” she said.
RELATED: Green Shirt Day to honour Humboldt Broncos organ donor
RELATED: Canada shows support for Green Shirt Day
Schindler said the foundation partnered with a company called Your City Sports for the sock manufacturing, and that company is donating an equal number of socks to homeless people in the Lower Mainland.
A total of 50 Aviva Community Fund small idea winners were selected across Canada to receive $10,000 towards their project.
The Warm the Sole campaign received among the highest number of votes from brokers, community members and the public.
Renal staff at AHR also participated in Green Shirt Day on April 7 and 8. The campaign supports organ donation and was started in memory of Logan Boulet, one of the 16 Humboldt Broncos hockey players who were killed in the crash a year ago involving the team bus.
Boulet organs saved the lives of six people.
Register as an organ donor by visiting register.transplant.bc.ca.