Nestled in between the Buchanan Museum of Fine Art and Guys and Dolls Styling on Front Street in Buchanan, sits Pure Rituals, a staple of the downtown Buchanan for the last 13 years.

While the establishment is known for haircuts and treatments, as well facial treatments such as eyebrow waxes, the salon is spending the holiday season taking care of more than just people’s heads and faces.

For the months of November and December, Pure Rituals has participated in and functioned as a drop-off point for The Sock Project. The Sock Project, started three years ago, collects new socks to donate to families in need. Since its inception, The Sock Project has donated more than 2,500 pairs of socks throughout the state of Michigan.

The socks collected by Pure Rituals will be donated to Child and Family Services of Southwest Michigan and the Safe Shelter for Domestic Violence in Benton Harbor.

“It’s a really great thing,” said Pure Rituals manager Nicole Mitchell-Custard.

This is the second year that Pure Rituals has served as a drop-off point for The Sock Project. Last year, staff collected 47 pairs of socks, though they hope to at least double that number this year, Mitchell-Custard said.

Mitchell-Custard said that the idea for The Sock Project developed after its founder found out that socks are rarely donated, as they are not something people tend to give much thought to.

This is true of Child and Family Services of Southwest Michigan and the Safe Shelter for Domestic Violence in Benton Harbor, where Pure Rituals will be donating its socks this year.

“We thought about who would be in the greatest need. We assumed that generally people that are in those positions, people are leaving everything behind, and those people are in great need of things like socks,” Mitchell-Custard said. “People tend to donate pieces of clothing like coats and the like, but they rarely think of things we use every day, all day, like socks.”

Pure Rituals is excited to participate in The Sock Project not only because the staff believe in the cause and the organization they are donating to, but because it fits into a larger pattern of giving that is embedded into the culture of the salon, Mitchell-Custard said.

“Throughout the year, we try to raise awareness about various causes,” she said. “It’s very important to us to help out the community.”

Some of the other projects Pure Rituals donates to are Pack a Backpack through Redbud Area Ministries, the Berrien County Humane Society and various causes to help the Great Lakes.

Mitchell-Custard said that Pure Rituals has been doing their part to get the word out about The Sock Project through social media and emails to clients. She said she would encourage anyone who is interested to participate.

“It’s something that is extremely inexpensive. There are all types [of socks],” she said. “You can get your children involved to teach them about helping others. At the end of the day, it’s an easy, inexpensive way to give back and help others out.”

Help the cause:

Pure Rituals is serving as a drop-off location for The Sock Project, which collects new socks to donate to families in need. Drop off unused socks at the salon, located at 108 E. Front St., Buchanan.