The YMCA and Beacon Food Pantry have been partners in issuing a monthly food drive held outside of Pace High School. These food drives take place every second Friday of each month, providing much-needed support to local families.

In December Mrs. McBride, the civics and AP African American History teacher, gave out permission slips to see if any students wanted to sign up to volunteer in handing out food to the community.

Seniors Stefan David, Khylee McBryde, and Malakhi Abrams volunteered with Mrs. McBride alongside other volunteers that came throughout the day. “I like to give back to the community,” said David. Alongside Abrams, who agreed, “It is fun to help people.”

Due to the cold weather, the food drive will not resume until March, when the weather warms up and more volunteers can participate safely.

The YMCA gives out food such as canned goods, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and even soap. Mrs. McBride asked Michelle Li, who runs the YMCA and is a former Pace student, if her students could help and volunteer.

Mrs. McBride felt as if this was important not only to help the community but also to help teach her civics class about being active citizens, which means helping out the community.

The YMCA started their distribution in the morning by unpacking the food and organizing vegetables, canned goods, and eggs in different areas of the table. As time went on, neighborhood residents started forming a line.

To track who got food and who didn’t, each person got a ticket. The line went all the way onto the track field while the food distribution went on in front of the old Pace entrance. Volunteers gave out food until it ran out.