Socks from the Docks

Every year, sailors in Annapolis burn their socks to celebrate spring’s arrival. In Baltimore, we like to put our own spin on things – so we decided to change it up and host our first ever sock donation party, Socks from the Docks. Why should we burn perfectly good socks?

The Downtown Sailing Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit community sailing center located in Baltimore City at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Each year we provide sailing to almost 2,000 inner-city children and adults as well as sailors with disabilities.

We’re reinventing the tradition of sock-burning through community sailing – instead of burning old socks, we’re donating new socks to those who need them. So much of what we have at the DSC is thanks to donations and volunteers. Socks from the Docks is about giving back to the community that helps us function.

So on Saturday, March 20, the Downtown Sailing Center will present donated socks to the Helping Up Mission. We’re asking each attendee to bring an unopened package of socks with them to the event. The Helping Up Mission is a Baltimore organization that aims to aid the poor and homeless. The mission provides 18,000 pieces of clothing annually, as well as countless other services. And with your help they'll have plenty of socks to give out.

We're aiming to collect at least 1,000 pairs of socks to give to the mission – but we need your help to do it. And of course there’ll be a little party beforehand with food and drinks donated by local restaurants and manufacturers. The festivities start at 3 p.m. and culminate in the sock send-off at 5:32 p.m., right at the vernal equinox.

What better way to celebrate spring’s arrival than with good clean fun and community service? We hope to see you at the Downtown Sailing Center at the Baltimore Museum of Industry – with socks in hand – on March 20.