Sikh families will give away $50,000 worth of coats, gloves and socks to the needy beginning Saturday at the Larch-Clover Community Center.

After that they’ll hold a few giveaways in Stockton, Modesto and a few Bay Area cities.

Mike Sandhau — owner of Sandhau Brothers Farm, which has 15,000 acres in rural Tracy, is leading on the initiative

 He said he, some family and friends decided to pool some money to help local poor folks in honor of a 500-year-old Sikh tradition.

Mike said that this allows the community to remember the sacrifices made by the Sahibzada’s, the two youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh.

Both the youngest sons of Guru Gobind Singh Ji were bricked alive in December 1704; they had to remain in freezing conditions with only the warmth of their grandmother to keep them warm.

“So we do this to keep other children, other families, warm in their honor,” he said. “It’s just something my family has done here for about six years now.”

Anyone is welcome to pick up the free clothing, he said. But the hope is that only people who need the help will show up.