USD
Home / A Story in Every Sock

A Story in Every Sock

Socks For Your Soul: A Journey To Spain

Socks For Your Soul: A Journey To Spain

Hi Sock Lovers,

Every month, as part of Bakdrop's Socks For A Cause Club, we partner with a new non-profit that is doing great work and needs a little extra help. August took us to help out in Moaña, a small town in northwestern Spain, where I grew up. Here's the story.

Meet Malú Paz Marcos. She helps her elderly father run a small cobbler shop in Moaña, a small fisherman’s town in northern Spain. I grew up in that small town. Whenever I went to the shop, I would be greeted by Malu, her father, and about half a dozen dogs ranging from greyhounds to shar peis. These days, when Malu is done with work, she drives up the Xaxán mountain to an old industrial complex to work with her friend Samuel.

In 2015 Malú rescued a shar pei named Xira who had had a tough past and was aggressive as a result. Malú had heard that Samuel had a special knack for training dogs, especially those with character problems. Samuel even had two or three dogs he had adopted and was trying to find homes for. So Malú found him through Facebook and got in touch. Despite the challenges they faced, Samuel helped Malú train Xira to reduce her aggression. 

This transformation helped Malú realize that Samuel had a real gift with animals, so she proposed they start a dog rescue together. Samuel, Malú, and 4 other animal-lovers started “Adestra O Can” in January of 2016. Starting a non-profit is never easy, but somehow the AOC team always manages to pull off miracles together. AOC goes to nearby shelters and rescues the most problematic dogs. They then heal and train the dogs so they can be adopted into loving homes.

Samuel’s family lent AOC an industrial building with a large plot of land to house all the animals. Once the new rescues arrive, they go through a re-insertion process until they are in a position to live with other animals. Then they roam freely with the other dogs (as well as a goat, a sheep, a horse, and two donkeys!) on this beautiful piece of land. Samuel runs AOC singlehandedly on a daily basis, with evening and weekend help from Malú and other volunteers. Although they have supporters who donate on a monthly basis to help keep the lights on, Moaña is a rural area in which the fundraising opportunities are scarce.

While talking to Malú last month, I knew we had to feature them in this month’s Bakdrop Socks for a Cause Club, explaining how its members could help with awareness and funds for AOC. Her eyes lit up and filled with tears. This year has been a tough one for adoptions; they were currently hosting almost 40 dogs - a lot more than they usually do! The bulk donation from Bakdrop’s Socks for a Cause Club is equivalent to an entire month’s budget. They are putting this money towards improving their facilities, which need weathering for Galicia’s cold and rainy winters.

I stopped by AOC to see the the amazing rapport Samuel has with the animals he saves. Of course, Samuel doesn’t think of it that way. He says “they help each other out.”

I hope you enjoyed this story and if you would like to join our Socks for a Cause Club, you can do so at this link. ​For $10/month you’ll get a pair of socks designed around the featured cause of the month, and 50% of the proceeds go to that cause. Together we can make a difference, one sock at a time.

Save the Rainforest Quetzal Tropical Socks

Save the Rainforest Quetzal Tropical Socks

Inspired by the rainforest, our resident artist Samyr created a tropical socks design to reflect the vast bio diversity, beautiful colors and creatures of the rainforest. The Quetzal bird was added as a prime part of the design to showcase what an abundant rainforest could be like.

A big part of the design is raising awareness around rainforest conservation, which is why we picked the Rainforest Trust as the organization we are donating to with 50% of the proceeds. The Rainforest Trust protects threatened tropical forests and endangered wildlife by partnering with local and community organizations in and around vulnerable areas.

Stand with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Socks

Stand with Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Socks

The Oceti Sakowin Camp is a historic gathering of tribes, allies and people from all walks of life standing in solidarity to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline and help the Sioux tribe of Standing Rock.

When we learned about the incredible people of the Sioux tribe, we were inspired to do what we can to help them. The sock design we created is a collaboration with Spanish artist Andrea Carandini. In addition 50% of the proceeds from these socks are going to support the Stand with Standing Rock organization. We hope to do what we can to help and raise awareness around this and many other various causes and communities.