$100,000 Costco food haul for 'Bull City Foodraiser' helps more than 5,000 students

Some Durham students will have food during winter break all thanks to a teacher and a generous community.

Posted 12:31 a.m. Dec 16, 2021 — Updated 2:54 p.m. Dec 17, 2021

Lora Lavigne

, WRAL Durham reporter

DURHAM, N.C. — It’s the most expensive shopping trip some local Costco employees have ever seen.

The bill totaled more than $100,000 for a good cause.

Some Durham students will have food during winter break all thanks to a teacher and a generous community.

A few weeks ago the gym at Lakewood Elementary School was filled with grocery bags and supplies. A teacher, who many know as Mrs. Parker, has worked for the past seven years to make sure students in Durham don’t go hungry.

It’s called the "Bull City Foodraiser."

“It started with one family who sent me a text message in 2015,” said Turquoise LeJeune Parker.

She realized, if one family needed support, so would many others.

When she’s not busy in the classroom, she’s in what’s considered the ‘Professor’s Secret Workshop,’ packing up items to send to food insecure families during the two week winter break.

“ I’m in close contact with families just helping them with their kid’s academic growth. You can’t help someone academically if their social and emotional needs are not met,” said Parker.

She sent a group message out to everyone she knew who could help in 2015. It started with serving that one family, an entire classroom within a few days, to now several schools.

“I was one of the ones who she sent that message to,” said T. Greg Doucette, a local attorney.

The Foodraiser has grown bigger than Parker could have ever ever imagined, with the help of Doucette, who was on the original group text.

He’s is in charge of the fundraising and orchestrated the massive Costco haul that benefited a total of 5,103 students in Durham.

“We did a thread on Twitter. Most of it has been Twitter fundraising,” he added.

The word continued to spread. They identified the 12 schools in Durham where 98% of the students rely on free or reduced lunch.

That was more than enough motivation to keep the program going.

“These kids are my kids. They mean everything to me and I will not let anything happen to them,” said Parker, emotionally sharing her childhood family experiences.

She was raised by a successful, single mom who still felt how hard it can be to put food on the table at times.

“These families are also employees of Durham Public Schools who are barely at $15-$16 an hour so they are direct benefits of this as well,” she said.

"We must take care of each other. We are all called to serve,” she added.

More than 60 volunteers, including business leaders and students contributed to packing, loading trucks, and delivering.

“First night we had enough for three schools. Sent that out. Made those deliveries as we’re still working. The next night we did two bigger schools plus the Lakewood stuff and then Saturday we had to do the final push to get those last six schools. It’s just a very beehive of activity,” Doucette added.

Sitting in the nearly empty gym on Wednesday Parker reflected on the full circle moment.

“It’s a very beautiful feeling that this is empty but there are a lot of hearts that are very full and a lot of bellies that will be very full,” she said.

Doucette described the most rewarding experience about this year for him was helping in the deliveries.

“So getting the chance to see that knowing that it is actually going to make a difference for a lot of people,” he added.

Parker hopes this holiday tradition for them will only become a stepping stone for statewide change.

“To make sure there is legislative change that can be long-lasting so that people can be able to feel this in their own pocket and be able to do this on their own.”

The remaining bags are being distributed to Lakewood students this week. The group is already making plans for 2022 with a goal to eventually reach every school in Durham.

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