Joliet Taft students provide socks for those in need this winter

Joliet — Joliet Public Schools District 86 recognized a class of students for their work collecting socks for those in need.

The Taft Elementary School fourth-grade students taught by Anne Flaherty, Patricia Ledbetter and Caitlin Ratajczak worked together to collect more than 150 pairs of new socks for MorningStar Mission in Joliet, which operates an emergency shelter, according to a release by District 86.

Socks collected during the school-wide drive were then divided up into personally decorated care package bags of three pairs each by the fourth graders and delivered to the MorningStar Mission shelter with notes from the students, according to the release.

The collection and delivery took place in December, so the delivery could be made for the holidays.

“I am so proud of our students,” Flaherty, who has been leading this service project for four years, said in the release. “The mission guests were thrilled with the donations.”

This is the second time this year the fourth graders at Taft have helped provide donations for the community.

According to the district, the students collected blankets and towels for animals at the Hopeful Tails Animal Rescue.