During the holiday season, there are multiple opportunities to give back to the community. From Clubs volunteering time to help with the winter spirit, the annual school canned food drive, and an upcoming school-organized blood drive.
Clubs like the National Honor Society spent lunch crafting snowflakes to decorate the school, gaining hours, and helping with school spirit. The snowflakes have been hung in the doughnut to add to the winter decorations.
The Great Pacer Food Drive is an ASB-run food drive that donates the food to the Tualatin food pantry. The food drive lasted two weeks from Dec. 1 to Dec. 12.
“Basically, every person in ASB has two classrooms, we box and count and tally every class, then we give signs to first, second and third,” said philanthropy director Ava Hanson.
Triple points came from Costco-sized items and the daily target donation food.
“I think for Pacers, the food drive is one of the largest school-wide events of the year! It brings together classes across the school to try to get the most points in canned or shelf-stable foods,” said Harrison Burley, the other philanthropy director.
Some teachers started getting competitive, incentivizing students to donate by offering free homework passes, extra credit, and free days if they finish in the top three.
“I’m not bribing, I just have a class of dedicated altruistic kids who care about the community,” said English teacher Joe Schloetter.
The food drive has been a yearly tradition at LHS that has brought in many bottles, cans, and gifts for local food pantries. Kids are always excited about the competition format that is all for a good cause. But the food drive isn’t the only drive that LHS hosts.
The blood drive is also run by LHS Philanthropy. The goal is to supply blood to the community that needs it. There is a global shortage of blood. Due to factors like the pandemic, lack of young donors, and lack of organized blood drives in communities.
During the winter months, blood donations slow even more due to the cold and illness. Without a proper stockpile of blood, people wouldn’t be able to get the life-saving care that the added blood provides.
Donating blood is a fulfilling cause; the idea of saving lives is a great motivator for students. LHS blood drives have a chance to save countless lives.
“Donating blood is a good way to, like, feel like you can help people without, like, having to really do much,” said junior Marley Platt, a blood donor and fellow ASB member.
“Aside from the Instagram posts and flyers we distribute closer to the date of the drive, people can always just look up ‘Red Cross Blood Drive,’ and then search for any upcoming drives with our zip code,” said Burly.
The next drive is scheduled for Jan. 14. If you are interested in donating and are under 18, you will need to have your parents complete the parent permission slip. It is required before the donation session; otherwise, you will be turned away.
