Aurora students fill 'Socks of Love' for military

“Socks of Love” filled with toiletries and goodies are making their way to military members overseas thanks to some students in Aurora.

Preschool through eighth-grade students at St. Joseph Catholic School sent 16 boxes full of socks, snacks and personal items to servicemen and women as part of an Advent charity project this month, teacher and technology coordinator Jill Hardekopf said.

“They were each stuffed with love,” she said about the roughly 80 pairs of socks students sent to those in the military.

Each large tube sock was stuffed with things such as toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, deodorant, a razor, shampoo and conditioner, gum, snacks, comics, newspapers and a deck of cards.

“And of course the other sock,” Hardekopf said.

Students and parishioners donated the items to fill each sock during the Advent service project, which Hardekopf said helped students learn and exercise the virtues of compassion, humility, honesty, courage and patience.

The socks won't make it to military members anonymously, she said.

“We attached a picture colored by one of our students with our school name and contact information,” Hardekopf said, “in case someone wanted to correspond with us or even Skype with us.”