Thanks to our caring volunteers who braved cold weather to help distribute school supplies, food and clothing to our families at W.G. Pearson Elementary. It was a rare treat to see (behind masks) our favorite scholars, their families and staff at our adopted school W.G. Pearson. Lots of families participated and went home with supplies and well wishes for learning during these challenging times.

We hope things will return to normal very soon. We received this nice note from the school:
We just wanted to say "thank you" to Creekside Cares for assisting us with the remote learning kit and food distribution on yesterday! It was a big success as we had a lot of parents to drive up, and your volunteers were tremendous!! Your help in setting up a SignUp Genius on short notice made all the difference. 
We look forward to getting back to somewhat of a normalcy as soon as allowed. Community support and schools go hand in hand, and we appreciate everything you all do to assist us at WG! We have attached a few pictures for you to share and your records. Thank you again, we will talk soon.
Delbert Jarmon, W.G. Pearson Elementary
 

Thank you for a successful Holiday Zone 2020! We began collecting in our Creekside neighborhood  on November 9, and and made our final delivery on Monday, December 7. We collected gifts, toys, tape, wrapping paper and batteries for the children and families served by the Durham Children's Initiative. They needed our help more than ever. We were able to deliver literally hundreds upon hundreds of items and we also donated $1,215 in cash, checks and gift cards.

Your support helped us bring some holiday joy to our community! We helped the Durham Children's Initiative serve 170 families and approximately 500 children! Each family received gifts, wrapping paper and a $50 gift card to Food Lion. Thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered. This community is a generous and giving one! 

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.