Toronto's St. Jerome’s Catholic School is supporting its students in doing the down-to-earth, common charity that shines brightest during the Christmas season.

Earlier this month, Grade 7 and 8 students from St. Jerome’s launched its inaugural sock and hat drive in an effort to provide warmth and comfort to those who need it most during the winter months. 

Officially, the idea was spawned by the school’s Leadership Team, a group of upwards of 15 students who, according to principal Vince Stellato, embody everything that St. Jerome prides itself on. 

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“These are the kids that we feel represent our school the best in terms of academics, athletics, socially, ones who hold that Catholic piece with them well, just a group of well-rounded students who check off every box,” Stellato said. 

With the guidance of staff, the Leadership Team invited the school community to donate as many new socks and hats as possible to make a meaningful difference in the lives of locals in need. 

All collected items are being given to  Covenant House Toronto, a homeless shelter for youth that Stellato said specifically requested items like hats and socks to alleviate the ever-growing need for such items during the harsh winter. 

Still, even with a push in the right direction, Stellato attests that the entire operation of the campaign comes down to the passion and willingness of the students themselves. Having done similar drives for toiletries in the past, St. Jerome’s has pivoted to meet the needs of its community this Christmas season, seemingly without missing a beat. 

“These kids are doing this because they themselves know that there are people in our community who are in need. It’s done through their work, their collaboration and their teamwork. It’s their hands that go collect the items from each class, they bring it in, organize it, pack it, do everything from start to finish for us,” the principal said.

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When asked just how many hats and socks are being collected, Stellato said no official count exists, and the success of the initiative is not being measured in numbers, but in the charitable spirit he’s witnessed in students week by week. Still, he points to three large bins in the school corridor as “filling up quickly” ahead of the Christmas break. 

It’s a sentiment that St. Jerome’s Leadership Team’s teacher leads share as well, speaking to the impact that the initiative is having on both students and those in need. 

“As a Catholic school community, we know that charity is not meant to be practised on only one day or during a single season. Instead, it is a way of life, an expression of our faith and a reflection of Christ’s love in the world,” the team wrote in a response to the Register.

“This Christmas season, St. Jerome School is committed to supporting our brothers and sisters experiencing homelessness. Each year, more individuals in Toronto find themselves without access to basic necessities such as food, warm clothing or safe shelter. With limited emergency respite spaces and outreach services, far too many vulnerable people struggle to survive the harsh winter months.”  

St. Jerome’s has also been highlighted by TCDSB for its charitable history, including a Thanksgiving food drive, participation in ShareLife Week, selling freezies with proceeds and further clothing items going to the local St. Jerome’s parish. 

Even as bigger secondary schools in the area hit their targets for donations on larger scales, St. Jerome’s Leadership Team remains a prime example of the simple, honest and much-needed local charity that keeps a community warm long after the Christmas season passes. To Stellato, it’s the perfect encapsulation of faith in action. 

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“ It embodies what it means to be someone of faith. We talk about tolerance and compassion as things that we wan't to bring every day to school, and these virtues grow in success that can only be found in the journey and the relationships that you make with people,” he said. 

“What I ask the kids every day is, at three o'clock, did you make St. Jerome’s a better place today? If you did, then you've done your job.”