Giving back to the community
The Department of HNS&CS partners with Activate Good on community service events throughout the year.
Since September of 2020 we have completed 24 service projects benefiting ten worthy causes in the Triangle.101 total volunteers have provided 277 total volunteer hours. Our projects have included:
- Preparing and packaging 27,670 meals with Food Bank CENC (Raleigh and Durham) to feed families and youth in need, including processing 5 tons of donations and sorting 8,500 pounds of sweet potatoes
- Packaging 10,000 diapers with The Diaper Bank of NC
- Unloading and storing 400 bales of hay with Horses for Hope
- Serving 80 meals at Oak City Cares
- Providing 6 hours of organizing stock at Habitat ReStore Durham
- Providing maintenance for 4 community gardens
- Completing painting projects at 2 local schools
Activate Good Volunteers Help Assemble S.P.A.R.K. Kits for eLOVEate Schools
On May 30, 2026, HNS&CS team members partnered with Activate Good to support the final phase of the eLOVEate Schools grant project. Volunteers helped unpack, inventory, prepare and assemble 40 S.P.A.R.K. Kits, classroom resource kits focused on Science, Play, Art, Robotics and Kindness. The kits will be distributed to four partner schools, with each school receiving 10 kits to support hands-on learning and enrichment activities. We are grateful to Activate Good and all the volunteers whose efforts helped bring this exciting project across the finish line.
Community Service Highlight: Book Harvest Volunteer Day
On March 14, Duke Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences team members—along with friends and family—spent the morning volunteering with Book Harvest, a Durham-based nonprofit that provides children and families with access to books and supports early literacy from birth. Volunteers sorted and organized donated books that will be distributed across the Triangle.
Activate Good volunteer event at Boys and Girls Club of Raleigh
On the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Service, January 19, 2026, team members from HNS&CS rolled up their sleeves at the Boys & Girls Club at Washington Elementary School in Raleigh—brightening classrooms with fresh paint and a good cleaning, organizing art supplies, creating colorful ceiling tiles, and sharing games and laughter with students.
Department supports Tools4Schools
Team members from across the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communications Sciences (HNS&CS) joined Tools4Schools on September 6, 2025.
Activate Good: Fight Hunger Kids Day at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
On Saturday, May 17, the HNS&CS team participated in Fight Hunger Kids Day at the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
Activate Good: HNS&CS at Oak City Cares
On Saturday, March 22, 2025, the HNS&CS department participated in an Activate Good event at Oak City Cares: Home - Oak City Cares. The event brought together a wonderful group of volunteers from various corners of the department, along with several family members. The volunteers gathered with a shared purpose: to assist with the meal services that Oak City Cares provides on weekends.
Activate Good: Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service
In honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service, HNS&CS team members participated in a volunteer event at Central and Eastern North Carolina Food Bank.
Activate Good: Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh, NC
On Saturday, November 23, HNS&CS team members and their families participated in Activate Good's annual Family Volunteer Day at Marble's Kids Museum in Raleigh
Activate Good: Tools4Schools in Raleigh, NC
Together, the HNS&CS team processed school supply donations, stocked the supply shelves, and checked out and bagged supplies for the teachers.
Activate Good: Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
On Saturday, May 18, HNS&CS team members Revital Benvenisti (accompanied by her sons), Leda Scearce, Chris Tobias, Dina Vallabh, and Lianna Puscas participated in a group activity at the Durham branch of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
They inspected, sorted, labeled, and packaged one ton of Capri Sun juice packs. Thanks to everyone who took part!