As many of my constituents know, a wonderful woman from Madison, OH, spearheaded a project several years ago to knit slipper socks for our servicemen and women serving overseas. The project, lovingly dubbed "Operation Toasty Toes," is the brainchild of Irene Silliman of Madison.

The initial goal of Operation Toasty Toes was to ship 350 pairs of slipper socks to the men and woman aboard the U.S.S. Carney, then stationed in the Persian Gulf. At the time, Silliman’s grandson, David Ward, was a U.S. cryptologist stationed on the Carney. Word of Operation Toasty Toes soon spread throughout Ohio and the country, and in the last several years, more than 40,000 pairs of slippers have been shipped from Silliman’s kitchen.

There are now formal Toasty Toes chapters in several states, and countless informal chapters across the United States and Canada. Hundreds of women and men have been knitting the slipper socks and sending them to the troops. Since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Silliman has been flooded with calls from folks asking if Operation Toasty Toes still exists.

I’m pleased to report that Operation Toasty Toes is now working overtime to provide a small gift of kindness to the men and women of our military. It is my hope that some of you reading this will want to join in this worthwhile effort.

Each pair of completed socks should have a tag specifying the name and address of the person who knitted them so the recipient can send a letter or E-mail of thanks. You can send completed slipper socks to Irene Silliman, c/o Operation Toasty Toes, 5232 N. Ridge Road, Madison, OH 44057, or we can put you in touch with Silliman, who has information about sending Toasty Toes to the various branches of the military.

When Operation Toasty Toes began, shipping for the first 1,000-plus pairs was provided by United Parcel Service (UPS). In recent years, Silliman has relied on donations from local veterans’ groups and kind-hearted individuals to pay for shipping.

For more information on Toasty Toes, please feel free to contact Deborah Setliff  of my staff at 202-225-5731. A pattern for Toasty Toes slipper socks can also be found at the top of this page.

 
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