Teerkasha Baskaran
Teerka leads Health for Homeless, a youth-led organization that has spent the past five years advancing health-focused initiatives for unhoused individuals across the Greater Toronto Area. This summer, she is overseeing a city-funded initiative delivering first-aid courses and health promotion workshops to at-risk youth in Toronto. She is also contributing to national tech policy efforts at SickKids, supporting research and advocacy aimed at strengthening online safety for children. Teerka is deeply curious about how to advance health equity for vulnerable children and families. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Health Sciences at Queen’s University and is a Loran Scholar, recognized for her leadership and community impact.
Supporting Unhoused Communities: Health-Focused Care Kits and Sock Pantries
This project creates open-access sock pantries—low-barrier stations offering clean, new socks to unhoused individuals near shelters and drop-ins. By addressing a basic yet often overlooked need, we promote foot health and dignified access. Alongside each pantry launch, we collaborate with local shelters and community health centres to distribute one-time, health-focused care kits tailored to each site’s needs. These efforts address immediate hygiene gaps while building long-term partnerships with frontline organizations supporting the unhoused community.
https://www.healthforhomeless.ca/About this Project
Communities Served
My project will involve and/or impact the following communities:
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
When it comes to community impact projects, the UN has created 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the Sustainable Development Goals associated with my project.
How the project works
By January 2026, this project will expand to four sock pantries across the Greater Toronto Area, distributing 10,000 pairs of new socks. Two new pantries will be launched and sustained through monthly restocking, maintenance, and impact tracking led by a core team of 10 engaged volunteers.
Project Impact
The Sock Pantry Project exists to address a basic yet often overlooked health need: access to clean socks for unhoused individuals. Without clean socks, people face increased risk of foot infections, discomfort, and stigma, especially when asking for more. This project was created to meet that need with dignity and consistency.
Project Mission
To install and maintain open-access sock pantries near shelters and community spaces, ensuring unhoused individuals can easily access new, clean socks, improving foot health and reducing barriers to care.
Project Team
Our team is comprised of high school and university students across the GTA committed to our mission.
- Teerka Baskaran, Nicholas Hamzea, Kanish Baskaran, Jessica Yan, Crystal Li, Naveen Sivarajah, Brianna Tota
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