Retired teacher helps homeless across the country one pair of socks at a time
Retired Hoffman Estates High School special education teacher Tom McNamara said he always felt the generosity of others, whether it came from his District 211 family, community, or friends. However, the urge to devote his time to serve others didn't end when he left the classroom. He knew he had more to give.
McNamara, who is nicknamed "The Sockman," endured a life-altering chain of events that propelled him to explore what his purpose is in life - a journey traveling the country in an RV with his dog to help the homeless by handing out socks, an item commonly overlooked in clothing drives.
"People have always been so good to me - my house burned down when I was at teaching at Hoffman, my daughter went into postpartum depression, I was very physically ill, which ultimately caused me to retire - everyone at the District was fabulous. After I retired, I felt like I needed to give back," McNamara said. "I read an article about a man who had been doing this in Philadelphia and it thought it sounded like a good idea. So I started doing it."
When McNamara started, he had no means of transportation other than his Honda Element, which he turned into a mobile home for a year. He and his dog lived in the back of his car on a makeshift bed made of piles of socks he would eventually hand out to the homeless. His one-man, one-dog operation might be small scale, but it has impacted lives all over the country in just two years of starting his new venture.
To make the journey a bit easier, McNamara eventually sold his home, bought an RV, and hasn't stopped traveling the country since to help those in need. He has traveled to states such as Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, California and more.
"I usually try to look up where homeless sites might be before I leave," he said. "Although I do, my main goal is to not primarily go to shelters. I like to learn personal stories so I try to find people who are not in good places, such as in the woods. I will go to stores where people might share with me where the homeless are. Then I drive around and start looking for them."
At first, the former self-proclaimed homebody said he was petrified to embark on this path. He never had traveled before and had no idea how he would be received by various communities or the homeless. With the help of his friends, he initially gathered more than 5,000 pairs of socks. So far, he has helped families, lone abandoned teenagers, towns ravaged from natural disasters, and more. He has provided thousands of clean socks to those in need, stopping to get more pairs when he runs out.
Currently, he is seeking support and donations on his www.gofundme.com website, where interested parties can leave monetary donations or contact McNamara about donating socks. His next trip will start in Arizona, and he will travel up the coast all the way to Seattle handing out socks where they are needed. He is also in the process of writing two books to be released next summer called "Faces and Places of the Homeless," and "Stories from the Street."
"As I go along the way, I am going to find out where the homeless are," he said. "I would like to continue doing this until the very end. It's very rewarding and I have met some super people. All I can ask for is support and to stay safe during my travels."
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