Special to IFN

Pine Lake Preparatory student-athletes partnered with Bags of Hope to pack over 150 bags for local families on January 20. 

This is the fourth consecutive year that the boys varsity and JV basketball teams have collected and assembled donations as a day of service for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This year they extended the invitation to the girls basketball and track teams.

Senior Carter Shirley led the teams in gathering supplies, and organized his own drive of donations from family and friends. In addition, his mother, Pamela, secured a donation of soups and crackers from a friend who works for Campbell/Lance to help fill the bags.

Carter said the initiative “brings people together” for a common goal, and sophomore teammate Ben Perri agreed.

“As a team, we were able to fill hundreds of bags in less than an hour and this service project was great for our morale and team chemistry. We were overflowing cars with bags of goods,” Perri said.

The Bags of Hope will serve many families locally, including 20 families within the PLP community.

“We are so very thankful this event will help so many!” Pamela Shirley said.

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