TEXARKANA, Ark. - With a package of unopened socks donated Friday night at Hopkins Icehouse, you can help the homeless survive in better comfort over the winter.
The Bearded Sinners Beard Club of Texas holds the sock drive from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Hopkins with live music provided by local bands Smokey and the Brandon and Not Dead Yet, both of which include Bearded Sinners members. A 50/50 raffle is also part of the night's fundraiser, which will help residents of Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter.
The price of admission is one unopened package of socks (or $5 to buy socks). The event is open to all ages.
The Bearded Sinners' Leslie Chisum, also known as Dude, says this is their second sock drive for the Randy Sams' shelter. The group has been around for nearly three years.
"The Bearded Sinners, what we are basically is we're one chapter here in Texarkana, many chapters all over the nation. We've got guys in Washington state, they're in New Hampshire, all over, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, we're all over," Chisum said. "We're just a group of bearded men who come together to try to better the community and, of course, discuss our beards, try to grow a better beard."
They've had various helpful initiatives, including benefit concerts for other organizations. "That's mainly our thing is try to to help out other non-profits," Chisum said, noting that on Saturday they'll take the socks gathered to Randy Sams' and also buy more with the money donated.
"That's the most requested thing at any homeless shelter is socks," Chisum said. "That's really our mission." With winter arriving, socks are needed.
"We really want to do our best, as good as we can, to do our best to give back," Chisum said.
"We just get together and put on a big show and try to have fun and raise some money, get some socks for this initiative anyway," Chisum said.
The end-of-the-night drawing will add to the fundraising.
"We're also doing a 50/50 drawing. That's another thing we try to bring in a little more money. Basically you buy raffle tickets. At the end of the night, however many you have will all go in one bowl. We'll draw, whoever wins will get half of that money. The other half will go, of course, to our initiative," Chisum said.
In addition to focusing on good causes, the Bearded Sinners have held a beard competition. It was big event with several categories, such as various lengths and freestyle.
"You've got to have a little facial hair. You can have a soul patch. You're in, it's one of those things," Chisum said, noting their vice president, who's in his 20s and ventured out to Pennsylvania for a national competition and earned second place, possesses the largest beard in the club.
"He's got a monster beard," Chisum said.
(Hopkins Icehouse is located at 301 E. 3rd St. in Texarkana, Arkansas. More info: Facebook.com/BSBCTX or call 870-774-3333.)