MANCHESTER — “Is there a place for me?” asked one anxious third grader as she sought to settle in for a group photo. Her compatriots from five local elementary schools jostled and slid sideways to make room, another example of the collaborative effort of kids coming together to donate socks for the homeless.

October as Socktober was started by local county organizations, including police departments, for the Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless (BCCH). The Manchester Police Department joined the effort in 2023 and this Socktober recruited help from The Dorset School, Sunderland Elementary School, Mettawee Community School, Manchester Elementary Middle School (MEMS), and Maple Street School.

“We started two years ago with just MEMS and Dorset,” explained a Manchester Police Depart

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