Bringing Easter Joy

NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS

By Kelly Hunter

I volunteer with a Chapel Hill non-profit called A Lotta Love. Last week, the manager at the Southpoint World Market, Jason McCreary, contacted our founder, Lotta Sjoelin, and said he’d like to donate their Easter goods to us so we could distribute them to local homeless shelters. It was four SUV loads and $1,000s worth of merchandise, mostly candy!

Team leaders from Raleigh, Wake County, Charlotte, Durham and Chapel Hill were mobilized. Boxes were sterilized, as was a work area in the house — Lotta even had masks and gloves for volunteers to use. Day by day, appropriately socially-distanced, we got to work.

Within one week, we’ve been able to distribute these items across the Triangle to hundreds of families. My family personally put together 21 gigantic baskets for Families Moving Forward in Durham. Other local teams delivered to Raleigh Rescue Mission, Wrenn House of Raleigh, InterAct of Wake County, Women’s Center of Wake County, Durham Rescue Mission, IFC’s Community House and HomeStart of Chapel Hill.

Nearly 100 North Carolina children waiting out these days in cramped homeless shelters can at least have a beautiful and delicious Easter celebration thanks to World Market and A Lotta Love.

This project was a great reminder that there are ways we can all still come together and share the love. As Lotta posted to Facebook, “Life can still be good!”

I’m so proud to have been a part of this, and I’m amazed at how well we mobilized (while social distancing!) to deliver some springtime joy!