Hanes, one of America's popular sock brands, has announced its fourth annual sock drive. The drive aims to bring comfort to the needy in the form of half a million socks.

Commencing the national sock drive efforts, Hanes hosted a live event Dec. 7 in partnership with The Salvation Army. The event provided socks and food to those in need on Los Angeles' Skid Row. The LA sock drive was also joined by homeless advocate Mark Horvath, who helps distribute Hanes socks throughout the year specifically to those without a roof over their heads as part of his mission to bring a face to this growing issue.

"We're extremely honored to be participating in the fourth annual sock drive and are proud of our loyal consumers who have helped us donate 2.2 million socks to date," said Sidney Falken, chief branding officer, Hanes. "We are dedicated to providing continued comfort to those who need it most during the holiday season and we thank The Salvation Army for being such a great partner in these endeavors."

Hanes donated about 500,000 socks this year and supported community sock drives. It also invited its Facebook fans to help "share the comfort" in a virtual drive and to contribute an additional 50,000 socks to support those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Facebook fans of the brand have appreciated the effort and have joined Hanes in the noble deed. Hanes has designed a quirky picture with a quote, "One share = One Pair" and this picture has been shared by almost 7,786 fans on Facebook. The idea has been called "great" and "awesome."

"Socks continue to be one of the most requested items in shelters. We could not be more appreciative and elated to receive yet another donation from Hanes. We saw great success with the sock drive last year and were able to provide such comfort and warmth to those in need," said Major George Hood, national community relations and development secretary for The Salvation Army.

Earlier this month, Hanes also partnered with Fashion Delivers to provide more than $1 million worth of apparel to the region's most affected by the super storm. Fashion Delivers is a New York-based nonprofit organization that distributes apparel and home furnishings to victims of natural disasters worldwide.