Butler Township Commissioners helped collect socks for the Socks for Seniors drive. From left are Joe Wiest, Fred Vero, Dave Zarnick, Sam Zurzolo, Peyton Pry and Jim Lokhaiser.

On Christmas Day, Dawn Burgess was effectively the Santa Claus of socks, delivering dozens of fuzzy kicks to four local senior citizen facilities over the course of the holiday.

Burgess organized a Socks for Seniors drive for the ninth year in a row, which she said collected a record 3,152 pairs of socks this year through 10 donation bins at businesses and offices around the county.

The number of socks received meant she could up the total number of receiving organizations from 12 to 17, which will help more than 1,100 senior citizens.

“Back in the beginning it was three or four,” Burgess said of the number of senior centers helped. “It was 12, and because of the response we were able to open it up to 17 facilities. I deliver to them all.”

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