First Phase Complete

A hearty thank-you to all of the donors and volunteers who launched Socks for Japan quickly after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and kept it going strong during the critical early months following the disaster. Your generosity in time, money, and work hours warmed the feet and cheered the hearts of tens of thousands of survivors.

Socks for Japan completed Phase I of its operation last week. From our March 23 distribution in Ibaraki to our July 6 distribution in Ishinomaki and Onagawa, we made 32 trips and delivered more than 150,000 pairs of socks and care letters from around the world! Take a look at the schedule.

We’re on hiatus until Phase II this autumn, when the weather cools down and the need for warm socks reasserts itself. Our inventory of undistributed socks is safely sorted, packed, and ready to go. Nothing will be wasted. We’re keeping in touch with our field contacts to monitor the situation in the disaster zone. We’ll also catch up on confirmation emails to donors.

Finally, I plan to fill in the gaps in reporting that you’ll notice on the schedule. The pace of our distributions became so intense over the past six weeks that I could not write as many trip reports as I wanted. All of my notes and photos are waiting, however, and I’ll get to them now that time permits. In the interim, please catch up on past reports and photos via the Socks for Japan topic or the list on the right side of the home page.

Thank you, again, to everybody who breathed life into this heartwarming effort that showed survivors they weren’t alone. The spirit matters, as every one of us whose hand was grasped in gratitude can attest. Your socks and letters sent, hours worked, and money spent benefited people quickly and directly. There was nothing abstract about it. People are better off today because of what you did, and I’m honored to have occupied the space in between.

More soon,
Jason Kelly

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16 Comments

  1. Angela Azimi
    Posted September 13, 2011 at 5:54 pm | Permalink

    Hi Jason

    My son’s school sent a large box of socks back in May and the children have been asking whether it arrived safely and whether their socks have been distributed yet. I wonder if you could e-mail us to let the children know? The name of the school is Forestville Montessori School in Sydney, Australia. You can use my e-mail address and I will pass your message on to the children at school.

    I appreciate your taking the time to respond.

    Kind regards

    • Posted September 14, 2011 at 9:49 am | Permalink

      Hi Angela,

      Yes, I will check on that and get back to you soon. Thank you so much for helping us out!

      Jason

    • Posted September 20, 2011 at 3:02 pm | Permalink

      Guess what? We found it, processed on May 27. Yours was one of our last confirmations to be sent (way too late, I know) this week before we begin Phase II. Look for a confirmation email.

      Thank you, again!
      Jason

  2. Posted September 3, 2011 at 7:35 am | Permalink

    Jason,

    First, thank you for all your hard work and great efforts. So many have benefited from it, as well as from following your writings. I am an artist, and used to live in Japan. I started painting 5″ x 5″ cherry blossom paintings. I would like to hand-deliver one-to-one these 40 small paintings to displaced people, especially elderly, on the anniversary day of the tsunami. If you have time, I would like to email you with some logistical questions. A Japanese friend of mine from Tsukuba,Ibaraki will join me.
    Thank you again.
    Anne

    • Posted September 6, 2011 at 3:50 pm | Permalink

      That’s a lovely idea, Anne. Feel free to email me your questions. I’ll be happy to answer, and possibly invite you to join us on a one-year anniversary distribution. We’re not that far along yet, but we’ll certainly be doing something on that day. Prior to that, we need to successfully run Phase II of Socks for Japan!

  3. TimHand
    Posted August 4, 2011 at 10:14 pm | Permalink

    Thank you Jason,for the awesome job that u and ur super staff do in Japan.When I read the letters my eyes start to water and my heasrt swells with joy.I pray for all of Japan and the whole world that it only takes a small few to make an enormous difference,amen.

    thanks sooo much for ur time and caring.
    Tim

  4. Brennan Koh
    Posted July 25, 2011 at 2:52 am | Permalink

    Amazing work done by amazing people. Thank you to you and your team. The socks have brought warmth to their feet but you and your team have warmed our hearts.

  5. Posted July 21, 2011 at 12:45 pm | Permalink

    Jason, I didn’t get the chance to mail out my box of socks due to money issues….If you are going to need socks again for this autumn or winter, I will be happy to hold onto them and send them along then! Please keep us posted, and thank you so much for everything that you, and your volunteers have been able to accomplish!

    • Posted July 21, 2011 at 3:42 pm | Permalink

      You’re most welcome, Hope. I will be in touch as we get into Autumn and can reassess the situation and put together the best way to proceed with Phase II. Keep those socks handy!

      • Posted July 25, 2011 at 11:48 am | Permalink

        Will do! I might even be able to toss some more in the box…although it’s pretty full as it is..hehe.

  6. Shannon Brown
    Posted July 21, 2011 at 12:40 pm | Permalink

    THANK YOU Jason 🙂

  7. Sen
    Posted July 15, 2011 at 12:29 am | Permalink

    Thank you so much for your hard work,(and your team of volunteer also) Pls let us know if there is more news and needed us to help.And thank you for letting us participate.

  8. Kellly
    Posted July 14, 2011 at 11:54 pm | Permalink

    Thank you so much !!!!! for helping distribute so many socks, and helping everyone, and also the care letters to the people . THanK you! I can’t wait to help in automn! Is there any way to still send money or donations to help during the summer? Thank you !

  9. Mell M.
    Posted July 14, 2011 at 9:55 pm | Permalink

    Jason,
    The people of United States are very proud of you and your team. I want to thank you for being such a wonderful perosn. God has surely blessed you, the supporters and the victims by coming together supporting one another. Hopefully, I will be in Japan this October. Be safe my friend.
    Respect to you and yours,
    Mell, Austin Texas, USA

  10. Marilyn Browning
    Posted July 14, 2011 at 4:02 am | Permalink

    Jason: Thank you for your work and for creating an opportunity for us to share our solidarity with the Japanese people. Here is another way we are trying to share our love and encouragement. Please help us pass this video along.
    Marilyn Browning

    Hearts Across the Pacific_April2011
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nefa04W7qcE

    In addition to sending our donations to help the Japanese people affected by the earthquake and the tsunami and their aftermath, we felt a need to reach out in an active and personal way to express our caring to the people of Japan. Realizing that we are all connected on this earth and that what affects part of our human family affects us all, and believing in the power of joined human hearts and of prayer, we joined together on Sunday, April 3, 2011 for a healing prayer event at Malibu Lagoon Beach. Then we joined hands along the shoreline, facing Japan, sharing prayers and healing meditation. This is being sent out as a video greeting card of sympathy and love to the people of Japan.

  11. Tom Curry
    Posted July 14, 2011 at 3:53 am | Permalink

    Jason,
    Thanks for all you have done and continue to do.
    Just let me know when you need more socks and we’ll send another box of them.
    Very respectfully,
    Tom



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