Twenty-five percent – or one out of four Americans – state they have forgone or considered skipping Thanksgiving and other holidays due to the financial burden on their families. Pekin Community High School (PCHS), along with other organizations such as United Way of Pekin, helps provide and supply those in need during the holiday season.

PCHS has a program known as the Alliance Christmas Fund, which raises money during Christmas. The school provides some families with Walmart gift cards to make their holidays brighter. 

Christmas Fund Committee member Courtney Joyce stated, “Our goal is to raise enough money to provide 125 students with gift cards this season. We have already started raising money and are raising money until December 10th.”

PCHS is dedicated to making students’ lives easy and stress-free. The Christmas Alliance Fund is taking donations through the Dragon Store. If you are interested in donating to this fund, you can donate through the Dragon Store and state that you are helping PCHS give to students in need this holiday season. 

In time for Thanksgiving, Student Council Advisor, Colleen Kahl was asked about what PCHS does during the month of November. Kahl states, “The Student Council does a canned food drive each year for Thanksgiving. We provide a turkey, a pack of rolls, and milk for 50 families. In addition, each of the families receives an additional box of canned goods.”

Students bring canned goods to their 5th hour teachers to collect for the drive. The 5th hour that collects the most cans receives a reward. It’s a great way to bring about competition and do good for the community. During the 2024-2025 school year, the canned food drive raised enough from PCHS to provide 50 families in need with one to two boxes of canned goods.

For many years, PCHS staff have also proudly supported the United Way of Pekin. While fundraising occurs during the month of November, the funds raised support a number of critical services in our community throughout the year. For more information about the United Way’s work in our community, visit unitedwayofpekin.org.

The holiday season is one of the best times of the year to give to those in need. PCHS does a wonderful job giving back to its students and their families.