Crescent Communities Supplies Backpacks To High-Need Students
At Crescent Communities, we seek opportunities to create impact in areas where we can best serve as stewards of the people, planet, and the places where we live, work, and play. To that end, we focus on initiatives that support our four pillars of stewardship: environment, community, wellness, and longevity.
While we support back-to-school efforts for those in need through an annual supply drive, this year, we were presented with a unique opportunity to make a HUGE impact in a more direct way. The Crescent Communities team was asked to supply backpacks stocked with all essential school supplies for 128 Charlotte-area students housed with Supportive Housing Communities. While this organization supplies immediate housing for our very vulnerable homeless population, they also extend their wrap-around services to families in need of housing and support. The team was inspired by the SHC mission and vision to develop and operate permanent supportive housing for men, women, and families overcoming homelessness, while offering a host of services to help them get back on their feet. Because students in Charlotte-are public schools will not return to the classroom this year due to COVID-19, these high-need children are even more dependent on community support.
The Crescent Communities CARES team set up an online wish-list, allowing team members from across the country to contribute supplies from their home offices. Boxes began rolling into the corporate office in early July. Through the overwhelming generosity of the team paired with the support of Crescent Communities, the supplies continued to arrive until all requests were met. Several CARES team members gathered over the course of a few weeks to sort supplies and fill the backpacks with everything from crayons to composition books. On Friday, August 7th, Crescent Communities CARES team members gathered to transport an overflowing van packed with full backpacks to the SHC team. While COVID-19 prevented us from visiting with the students, the case workers distributed the supplies to 128 grateful and enthusiastic students later that day. While there are many factors that will affect the success of the schoolyear for these students, we are pleased to know that they have the physical resources they need to learn – whether from home or in the classroom.
