The Gaston Gazette
As a child growing up in Queens, New York, Kelly Whitesides knew what it meant to worry about where her next meal was coming from. I know how important this program is, she said, as she stood with her husband Sam in the BackPack Weekend Food Program warehouse on Linwood Road in Gastonia. I was one of those kids when I was young, she continued. I like the way this program works. I like the way the kids receiving the food are not singled out or embarrassed. I like the good this program does.
Whitesides had volunteered with the program several years ago, but she and her husband, Sam, had their interest renewed when they read a recent front-page column in
WBBJ TV
January 2, 2021
JACKSON, Tenn. –The Jackson community celebrated the homegoing of a retired fire chief.
James Pearson, who had been with the Jackson Fire Department for over 20 years, was laid to rest this morning during a memorial service at the Walnut Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.
He was surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues.
The Jackson Fire Department honor guard participated in the service.
Jackson Fire Chief, Darryl Samuels tells us he was a beloved member of the fire department and they will make sure to keep his memory alive.
“He innovated some new practices and policies within the fire department, so that loss is going to be great for us and the void is going to be difficult,” Samuels said.