Socks given as Christmas gifts often end up stuffed at the back of a drawer, never to grace a foot.
But podiatrist Jennifer Jones hopes to put surplus footwear to good use by passing them on to homeless people.
Jennifer, 39, of St Monans, has appealed for people to donate new socks they are never likely to wear.
She has volunteered to help the Forgotten Feet project in Dundee, part of a national network which provides free chiropody to homeless and socially isolated people.
As well as offering her services, she will give clients fresh new socks to replace possibly damp and dirty socks they may have been wearing for some time.
Jennifer was inspired to help after taking part in Sleep in the Park in Dundee earlier this month, an event which aimed to help eradicate homelessness.
She said: “It was an eye-opening experience.
“We had all the gear, it was a relatively mild night and there was no wind but we were still absolutely freezing. There was a layer of frost on our sleeping bags.
“In the morning we went home to our cosy houses.
“In our day and age people are still having to sleep out at night. What would that be like when its minus 10?”
Jennifer, who runs Mission: Happy Feet, a mobile podiatry and chiropody service, decided she wanted to do something to help and realised she could make a difference by using her professional skills.
She has volunteered to help Forgotten Feet in the new year and in the meantime is gathering socks for those the service helps.
She said: “At Christmas people buy socks for their grans, mums, dads, brothers, sisters and they might not really need them.
“If anyone gets a pair of socks they don’t need and they are happy to donate them they can give them to me.”
Even before Christmas, Jennifer’s appeal had been answered by lots of people keen to give their unwanted socks a new home.
She said: “I’m overwhelmed already and there will be a lot more, I imagine, after Christmas.”
Recipients of the new socks, she was told, tend to be very humbled by the gift.
Homeless people, who can be on their feet in all weathers and unable to dry wet footwear, commonly suffer from blisters, calluses, wounds and fungal infections.
Forgotten Feet has clinics across the UK in locations such as homeless centres so they can be easily accessed by those who need them.
To donate to Jennifer’s appeal contact her through her Facebook page Mission Happy Feet.
