LONG BEACH, Calif. – Derek Meekins remembers the exact day he became homeless: January 9, 2017.

“It was the most traumatic day in my life,” said Meekins.

His marriage fell apart. He fell into depression. He lost his home. Then he found his current job.

Meekins started his new path on the right foot by printing and packaging Keep LBC Fit socks. When you buy a pair, they give a pair to a homeless person. Each one has a list of places homeless people can go for help printed directly on the socks.

“Literally it was just going to be hey we’re going to do something to give back to our community here in downtown Long Beach and it just went into this whole other direction,” said Gio Ferraro, the nonprofit’s leader.

Keep LBC Fit is run out of a gym in downtown Long Beach. For years Ferraro helped with food drives and charitable events in the area. She started the nonprofit because just handing out free stuff didn’t have the impact she thought it might.

The inspiration for the nonprofit comes from Ferraro’s dad. He died a homeless man 14 years ago.

“Every time I see someone on the street who may appear to be homeless I see my father. I don’t see that person,” said Ferraro.

Having this job and the possibility of a better full-time gig down the line makes a big difference for Meekins.

A few hundred pairs of socks already created covers most of the gym’s second floor.