The holidays are usually a time of peace, joy, and celebration, but they can be tough on many individuals and families, particularly those fleeing abusive homes. Leaving behind everything you know and being forced to find shelter elsewhere is hard enough for adults, but the emotional toll can be even harder on children.

Through the Christmas Smiles Drive, the Marcus Harris Foundation aims to make the holiday season a more joyous time  for children and families in transition. To meet this need, we're proud to have partnered with the Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC), the leading provider of support for domestic violence (DV) survivors in Durham, to collect gifts for the children and families staying in the emergency shelter on Christmas morning.

We're incredibly grateful for the support we've received from businesses and nonprofit organizations who have helped us meet our collection goals each year, such as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro PTA Thrift Shop. We look forward to strengthening these partnerships, as well as forming new ones throughout the community in the coming months and years.