PILOT MOUNTAIN — A “great” outpouring of community support has greeted the plight of a Pilot Mountain family displaced by a Jan. 4 fire, but a major need remains: another place to live.

The Garvie Dixon family, consisting of a single dad and his seven children ages 4 to 15, has been depending on temporary lodging provided through the American Red Cross and Salvation Army. It has allowed the family to stay in a hotel in Pilot Mountain, but that assistance will soon end.

“The big need right now is looking for a place to stay,” A.J. Daoud, a co-owner of Cox-Needham Funeral Home in Pilot Mountain, said Friday. The funeral home has served as a collection point this week for clothing and household items including furniture, with the help of a trailer supplied by the Hardy Brothers trucking firm.

“There’s like a whole truckload of clothes,” Daoud reported Friday of what’s been received. Household items, including a couple of couches and microwave ovens, also have made their way to the trailer in back of the funeral home on West Main Street, where donations have been accepted during its normal business hours.

“The response by the community has really been great,” Daoud said.

Various volunteers who’ve sprung into action to assist the Dixon family say the fire victims’ clothing void largely has been filled, with Daoud pointing to a further need simply for packaged products such as socks and underwear. He also mentioned shoes that have not been used.

Hutchens Cleaners & Laundry in Mount Airy volunteered to clean the clothing given.

Meanwhile, the family has had a tough time locating another home, with finding an affordable place to accommodate the eight-member household among the obstacles in this regard.

The Dixons are especially seeking a residence in the Pilot Mountain School District, to ensure that the children won’t be uprooted from the schools they presently attend. The family previously lived at 753 E. U.S. 52-Bypass.

Fund Established

Another effort to help the large family get back on its feet involves a fund being set up at Surrey Bank & Trust.

Contributions can be made in the name of Garvie Dixon at any branch of the bank.

More information about the account is available from Gina Bullington at Surrey Bank at 368-1122.

Reach Tom Joyce at 719-1924 or tjoyce@civitasmedia.com.