With the winter months approaching and the economy still struggling, many families cannot afford winter clothing essentials. Beyond the usual requests for warm coats, hats and gloves, one essential that many in the Seattle-Tacoma area will be missing this winter are new, thick-soled socks.

To address this need Athletes in Action is partnering with Here's Life Inner City to launch the Socks for Seattle campaign. The sock drive will take place November 13-15 during the Athletes in Action Basketball Classic at the University of Washington.

The Athletes in Action Basketball Classic will kick off the 2009-2010 season for Belmont, Portland State, Wright State and tournament host, Washington, in a round-robin format with two games played on all three days (Nov. 13-15). All participating teams are being asked to donate socks to the campaign.

Fans will be invited to bring packages of new, thick-soled socks (children & adult sizes) to any of the tournament's six games throughout the weekend. Collection bins will be placed inside the entrances of Hec Edmundson Pavilion where fans can drop off donations.

Here's Life Inner City will distribute the socks to children & adults in the Seattle-Tacoma area after the tournament.

"Leveraging this tournament to help the families of the Seattle-Tacoma through Here's Life Inner City is a great privilege and much anticipated partnership." says Mark Householder, President of Athletes in Action.

Athletes in Action is anticipating great success in using this platform as tournament host to help the local community.

Since 1983, Here's Life Inner City's wide-ranging efforts have provided the poor with food and other basic necessities, life skills, career development and youth development programs. For more information on HLIC visit www.hlic.org.