When he talked with social workers they began telling him about some 20 children living in motel rooms with their parents. “We had been geared for shop with a cop but where are you going to put the bicycles and racetracks in a hotel room?”
The parents work but have no regular housing, Avens said. “The school bus has to come pick them up at the motel. They go to anywhere they can find a place. One family did find a house.”
That’s the short story about how Sunday’s Holiday Dinner with a Hero was born — where the children are the heroes and the officers and firefighters are the ones serving them.
(For more information or to donate contact Avens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 252-536-1144)
The event will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday at Weldon Fire Station 1 on Sycamore Street and its planners are still accepting donations for $100 Visa gift cards so the parents can buy the children presents for Christmas.
Weldon fire Chief Rusty Bolt said the firefighters are doing the bulk of the cooking — barbecue chicken, Brunswick stew — while restaurants have donated other items.
“James had an idea,” Bolt said. “He brought it to me. I thought it was a great idea. James has done a great job with it, has done a lot of the legwork. We’re going to set it up. It’s a great idea and we’re glad we’re a part of it.”
In a statement on the event, Avens explained the theme. “The two department’s definition of heroes are children who rise up from whatever their circumstances are and excel in situations that would otherwise be detrimental.”
The departments are hosting the 23 homeless youth and their parents. “The goal is for each child to receive a Visa gift card in the amount of $100 to buy themselves something for the holidays.”
The departments continue to raise money to reach the $2,300 necessary to buy the gift cards. They are also accepting in-kind donations of goods and services.
In its efforts to raise money for the funeral expenses of Jaxson Clay, who was murdered in a drive-by shooting last week, Weldon Baptist Church is pledging any excess funds to go to Holiday Dinner with a Hero.
