BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – Most days, the students at Buffalo United Charter School wear school uniform polos.

Wednesday, the school was a sea of pink.

The students earned the right to wear whatever they want in that color by helping collect socks with grippy bottoms for cancer patients.

“We are having a pink dress down day for our students in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All of the socks donated will go to Roswell Park where the patients who are undergoing chemotherapy will have some warm fuzzy socks to put on their feet, make them happy, put a smile on their face,” explained Jaime Peld, the lower elementary dean of students at BUCS.

Peld knows first hand the difference something as simple as a warm pair of socks can make for someone going through cancer treatment.

“Roswell is something near and dear to my heart. My dad was a patient there for 11 years, and received top notch care, best care in the region,” she said.

So many lives are touched by cancer.

That’s why the staff at BUCS says part of their mission during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and year-round is to help their students understand it all.

“We just have conversations,” said school counselor Susie Strangis. “We have other students who have been through the process with family members. We have them talk about their situations and challenges.”

Eighth grader Alayah Avent is one of those students.

Her mom is a breast cancer survivor who was treated at Roswell Park.

She says she loves seeing her classmates show their support for other cancer patients.

“It just feels good because that was my mom once,” she told News 4, “and I’d like other people that have cancer to feel just as great as she did.”

The students will continue organizing all of the donated socks this week. Then, on Monday, some of the students will go with the staff to deliver them to Roswell Park.

The school’s goal was to collect 100 pairs of socks.

At last check on Wednesday, the students had already counted about 250 pairs of donated socks.