Granite Quarry fire, police join teen’s drive for food, toys, backpacks
Published 12:00 am Thursday, November 7, 2019
- Jarrell Imes organizes food at Sidekick Karate. Jarrell decided to collect donations to send home with children who normally receive backpacks but may be without food during the Christmas holidays. Rebecca Rider/Salisbury Post file photo
GRANITE QUARRY — Members of the Granite Quarry Fire Department and Granite Quarry-Faith Police Authority were looking for a way to help needy families at Christmas.
They have found their cause by deciding to team up with 15-year-old Jarrell Imes.
Last year, Imes’ annual effort to help families at Christmas — a project dubbed “Jarrell’s Joyful Giving” — provided for more than 150 families, and some of the remaining nonperishables were donated to the food pantries of a couple of elementary schools.
“I started this cause at the age of 12, with the intent of providing meals for 10 families,” Imes said, looking back.
A sophomore at West Rowan High School, Imes said Jarrell’s Joyful Giving is in honor of his grandmother Phyllis Carr-Pullen, who died last year. He set out this year to collect nonperishable foods “to ensure students have enough to eat over December holiday break.”
“In addition to those items,” he said, “we are collecting new and/or gently used backpacks to send home over the break.”
Granite Quarry Fire Chief Jason Hord told the Board of Aldermen on Monday night that his members and those of the Granite Quarry-Faith Police Authority wanted to expand on Imes’ efforts by collecting toys and backpacks.
Both the fire and police departments will have a drop-off box for those items at their location, which is part of the town administrative building at 143 N. Salisbury Ave. The collection box will be in place through Dec. 9.
Hord noted that Imes’ mother, Eulanda Carr-Imes, works in the Granite Quarry Elementary School cafeteria.
Meanwhile, the town has a separate food drive collection box in the lobby at Town Hall that will be available for donations through Dec. 31. The box also is for donations of items such as socks, diapers and toiletries, which will go to the needy.
People interested in donating to or sponsoring Jarrell’s Joyful Giving may contact Jarrell Imes at 704-640-0464 or jarrellimes@instagram; Eulanda Carr-Imes at 980-234-3400 or eulandaimes@gmail.com; or Cherial Dya at 704-738-7077.
“If you have a child or children in mind for backpacks or gifts, please let us know and we will do our very best to reach out for sponsors,” Imes said. “All donations are due by Dec. 10.”
