She’ll Sock It to You!

by Laura Breen Galante

There’s a new Sock Kid in town, and for the first time, it’s a girl. The Annual Holiday Sock Drive, a successful philanthropic effort that began in 2009, is now being led by 11-year-old Peyton Boughman of Longwood. 

The homegrown charity was founded by Tanner Eaves, a Lake Mary teen whose original goal was to collect 100 pairs of new socks for those in need. Tanner beat that goal by a mile, collecting 1,200 pairs his first year. By the second year, the grand total surpassed 10,000 pairs of socks.

In 2018 as Tanner headed off to college, he passed the torch to Evan Vickaryous of Sanford, who became the second Sock Boy to run the charity until last fall – when Peyton was crowned Sock Girl. 

A sixth grader at Rock Lake Middle School, Peyton enjoys spending time with family and friends and helping others whenever she can.

Eric and Heather Boughman, Peyton’s parents, have instilled in their daughter a love of community service. 

“Peyton has grown up surrounded by community service through our involvement with the Rotary Club of Lake Mary, which has always supported the sock drive,” says Eric, a past Rotary president. 

Like Eric, Evan’s mother Jen Ferguson is also a Rotarian. So, when Evan was looking for a new leader to take over the sock drive last year, Peyton immediately came to mind. 

“Peyton is only 11, but she has a heart for service and she does not want to disappoint,” says Heather. “That seems to be what matters most.”

The Annual Holiday Sock Drive isn’t the only charitable effort in which Peyton participates. She and her brother Ethan, a second-grader at Sabal Point Elementary School, are members of Franklin’s Friends Youth Ambassador Panel (YAP), which supports Central Florida pets in need. 

“I love helping people, especially people who don’t have enough money to get the things they need,” says Peyton. “I also love helping animals.”

The Annual Holiday Sock Drive focuses on helping local children – from infants to teens – in foster care, group homes, and homeless shelters. The number one item requested by underprivileged children is new socks. Each fall, the charity’s volunteers solicit and collect socks in all sizes and colors and deliver them to Central Florida organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs (multiple locations), Edgewood Children’s Ranch, Orange/Seminole Foster Children’s Association, Rescue Outreach Mission, and The Village, IMPOWER’s Transitional Housing Program. 

Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

The goal is to deliver the socks, along with a dose of happiness, by Christmastime. The process involves delivering about 15 to 20 large collection boxes to local schools and businesses in late October and advertising the drive. The sock-filled donation boxes are collected in early December (this year’s deadline to donate is December 10), and then the sorting begins. 

“Since we don’t get any help from Santa Claus, somebody has to sort them,” says Eric with a laugh. “We learned from last year that we have to sort as they come in.”

Last year Peyton enlisted the help of her mom Heather, Eric, Ethan, and friends, who attended a sock-sorting sleepover to organize the stacks of donations. They sorted socks by size and gender to make it easier when it came to delivery time, creating huge piles for infants, toddlers, children/preteens, and teens/adults. The biggest need, says Heather, is socks for school-aged boys and girls.

This year the charity is utilizing an Amazon wishlist, which is a win-win for those donating and for the Boughman family, which anticipates that nearly 75 percent of the socks will be delivered to them via Amazon truck. 

This year, Peyton hopes to help 10,000 kids, which translates to a lot of socks. The Boughmans dedicate an entire room in their Longwood home for sock sorting.

“We are incredibly proud of Peyton for stepping up as the first-ever Sock Girl to lead the Annual Holiday Sock Drive,” says Eric. “Peyton has always had a kind heart, and this project allows her to share that kindness with our community in a tangible way.”

Eric and Heather say it’s a blessing to see both of their children grow into thoughtful and giving individuals. 

“Supporting Peyton in this effort reminds us of the power of small actions to make a big difference,” adds Heather.

Happy Feet, Happy Hearts

The project is definitely a family effort: Ethan helps Peyton with sock sorting; Mom keeps everything and everyone organized and provides the transportation and communication. 

“Everyone pitches in to ensure that Peyton has the resources she needs to lead the drive successfully,” says Heather.

As for Peyton, she is focused on the end goal: doing something to help others and bringing them a little cozy comfort to boot.

“When we delivered the socks to the kids last year,” she says, “I loved seeing their thankfulness and seeing their faces light up. It was really heartwarming to watch it.” 

Peyton hopes to collect even more socks than last year because that means helping more people in her community – which makes her very happy.

To learn more about the Annual Holiday Sock Drive and to check out the charity's Amazon wishlist, visit SockDrive.net. If your school or business is interested in hosting a collection box, please call 407-288-5800 to request a delivery.