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Local athlete gives back to Toledo's homeless

Eric Cellier and his teammate, Keaton Hendricks, teamed up off the court, to give back to the community. Their mission of choice? Socks to the homeless. And so far, they're overwhelmed with support.

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Winter is right around the corner.

And the number one request from homeless shelters this time of year? Socks.

One Toledoan basketball star is hoping to take care of this need in our area.

"I've driven through downtown a lot, like I said, I've lived here for 12 years. And so seeing people that could use some help and so it's really cool now to come back and do that," said Eric Cellier, a former standout basketball player for Toledo Christian and co-founder of Sky Footwear.

Eric Cellier was a thousand point scorer for the Eagles four years ago. Now, he's moved on to sport purple and gold for Taylor University.

Cellier and his teammate, Keaton Hendricks, teamed up off the court, to give back to the community.

Their mission of choice? Socks to the homeless. And so far, they're overwhelmed with support.

"They were on board right away, they all bought several pairs of socks, they're all wearing them, every game of the season for us," Cellier said.

For every pair of socks Sky Footwear sells during the month of November, they will donate a pair back here to the Cherry Street Mission and to Toledo-area homeless.

Every month, Sky Footwear joins with a new homeless shelter in the Midwest. So far they have partnered with shelters in Evansville and Indianapolis and given out more than 500 socks.

"We're just trying to be a positive light in a time where a lot of negativity is seen around the world," said Sky Footwear co-founder Keaton Hendricks.

Student athletes barely have time to breathe in between grueling practices and class, let alone take the time to give back. But for these teammates, their passion has made them find the time to give back.

"It's kind of our hobby," Hendricks said. "So if kids on our team or other college students like to play video games or have other hobbies, this is just kind of our hobby that we enjoy doing."

Once Sky Footwear has totaled up their sales for the month, they will hold an event in December where they personally hand out the socks to the homeless in the Toledo area.

Both Cellier and Hendricks said these socks would make great gifts for the holidays.

If you want to learn more, go to the Sky Footwear website.

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