Creekside Cares is proud to partner again with Girl Scout Troop 1001 this year to light up our community. This is our fifth straight year of supporting local girl scouts. Sets of 6 luminaria are available for $6.00 per set. Each set includes 6 white paper bags, 6 votive candles, 6 candle cups and enough sand to fill the bottom of the bags. Residents will light and display the luminaria on December 24 beginning at 7 p.m. Residents may purchase more than one set. All proceeds benefit the troop and their plans for a special group activity. Residents are not required to participate.

This year due to the pandemic, members of the troop will be providing contact-free delivery to your porch. You may reserve your set(s) of luminaria by emailing: troop1001luminarias@gmail.com. Please include your name, address, number of kits desired, and a contact phone. Please make checks payable to: Girl Scout Troop 1001. If you would like to pay via PayPal, please use the following link: paypal.me/troop1001gs in advance. Please remember to include your name, street address, number of kits desired and a phone number. 

While Creekside residents are not required to participate, we certainly hope you do. It will nice to shine a little festive light during these trying times and support the Girl Scouts and their wonderful mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.

Holiday Zone collections continue through December 3, 2020. Collection boxes are located throughout the neighborhood, and at Hemingway Hall. Thank you to everyone who has already donated. 

What an awe inspiring sight! Seeing the gifts all together is truly magical. We made our first delivery yesterday to the Durham Children's Initiative on Angier Avenue. As always, Creekside residents are generous beyond imagination.

​It has been fun to watch the friendly neighborhood street challenges. The big winners will be the kids and families served by the Durham Children's Initiative. Keep the toys coming, we hope to surpass our real competition, Toys for Tots. Come on Creekside, we can do it. The holidays are a time for the miracles of giving.

We will collect until December 3 and make our final delivery on December 4. Collection boxes are located throughout the neighborhood and Hemingway Hall.  It feels really great to enter Thanksgiving week with gratitude in our hearts for the amazing community that is Creekside. 

Scarlett and Larry Wilson have been collecting for and serving the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle for years. They have a drop box on their front porch to help our community provide donations. Each week, they deliver collected monetary donations, nonperishable items, and masks. Through their efforts, they are showing the world that Creekside Cares.

Larry retired after 34 years in the military and federal civil service, with a little private sector work thrown in at the end.  Scarlett is a retired registered nurse (from the old school where nurses actually did patient care , not computers).  They have one son, Patrick, and a daughter-in-law, Jennifer, who are posted in Nairobi, Kenya, where Patrick is a foreign service officer for USAID.  You might surmise that they are a family of public service.  Larry says, "We try to live by Luke 12:48: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."  Adds Scarlett, "We are fortunate to live in a lovely community with all we need.  Though we have no family nearby, we have many friends in this area and two near-perfect dogs.  In addition to our outreach with Creekside Cares and the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, we also serve through our church, Church of the Nativity. We enjoy serving the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle by packing and delivering food to Windsor Springs, a senior housing facility." Scarlett and Larry just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Please consider donating to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle by leaving nonperishable items on their porch (1016 Cadence Lane) or by making a monetary gift (checks payable to Inter-Faith Food Shuttle).  There is currently a matching program for monetary donations through the remainder of 2020. Food insecurity is a serious concern during the pandemic. All donations are appreciated and needed.

Creekside is very lucky to have Scarlett and Larry in our neighborhood. They are serving our community with heart.

Creekside Cares has been partnering with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle since the Fall of 2018. They have provided our Creekside Cares Cupboard with Backpack Buddies bags for our students at W.G. Pearson Elementary. Our board Vice President, Paul Leifer helped us create an onsite partnership for Creekside Cares volunteers. Prior to the pandemic, we met at the Child Food Hub on Miami Boulevard each month to stuff Backpack Buddy Bags. We had to take a brief hiatus after the pandemic struck. Paul maintained communications on our behalf and we are now regularly stuffing and packing boxes as a team.

Paul's leadership and enthusiasm are a shining example of mission. Watch our SignUp Genius for opportunities with our group. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle also has lots of opportunities on their own site for individuals to become involved. 
Food insecurity has gotten worse for many since the pandemic began. Your help can make a difference!

We are counting on the generosity of Creekside residents to bring the joy of the Holidays to the children and families served by the Durham Children's Initiative. Our drop off sites will be announced on November 9, but there is absolutely no reason you can't start shopping now. Many retailers are having early Black Friday sales.