Tucked inside Pekin Community High School is a small but mighty room called Dragon’s Closet — a space dedicated to helping students who are experiencing financial hardship for any reason.

Shelves are stocked with food, toiletries, clothing, shoes, school supplies, and more. Students can visit Dragon’s Closet on an as-needed basis. At the start of the semester, a Supply Drive provides students with backpacks filled with school supplies, and staff work behind the scenes to help outfit students for extracurricular activities, dances, and other school events.

The goal is simple but powerful: when students don’t have to worry about basic needs, they can focus more on learning, achieving, and enjoying high school life.

From a Small Pantry to a Schoolwide Effort
Dragon’s Closet began with a teacher’s idea many years ago. Life Skills Special Education teacher Jody Drury began a pantry in the Life Skills Workshop to provide food and supplies for students identified by teachers and counselors as needing extra support due to financial circumstances.

For a time, this system worked. But as the number of students in need increased into the hundreds, it became clear that a larger, more coordinated effort was needed. To put the change in perspective: 

• In 2000, about 15% of PCHS students came from low-income families.
• In 2025, that number is just under 50%.

In response, teachers, counselors, and administrators worked together to grow that original pantry into what is now Dragon’s Closet—a full room that serves students across the school. The impact is significant: so far this semester alone, there have been over 1,400 student visits.

A True Community Operation
Dragon’s Closet operates through a coordinated effort that involves students, staff, and community members working side by side.

• Life Skills students in the classrooms of Sara Boerma and Dione Gresham manage inventory, stock shelves, and assist with shopping.
• Life Skills students in Kyle Cain, Nicole Damm, and Sarah Hiles’ rooms handle sorting, laundering, and organizing donations, as well as delivering passes to students.
• Other Special Education students under the supervision of teachers Tim Carroll, Stephanie Harris, Amy Mefford, Kacey Piro, and Amanda Webb help with start-of-year setup and other organizational tasks.
• Special Education Clerk Lynn Shockley manages the schedule and list of visiting students.
• Social Workers Mallory Enos, Kenzie Dorn, and Terri Walker help coordinate school-wide communication, special events, and ongoing support.
• The PCHS Buildings & Grounds staff make regular trips to Midwest Food Bank to pick up monthly distributions.
• School counselors play a key role in connecting students with Dragon’s Closet when needs arise.

Leadership and Community Support
Since 2024, Val Springborn, PCHS teacher and long-time community member, has overseen Dragon’s Closet operations. She coordinates the organization, internal efforts, and external assistance. When necessary, she even secures the sizes and materials that are specific to individual student needs. Reflecting on the impact of the program, Springborn remarked, “It is so exciting to see this win-win situation created for the students by the students. The support we receive from the community solidifies that we are doing a great thing at PCHS!”

The Closet would not function without the support of the broader community. Volunteers staff Dragon’s Closet during student visit times, and ongoing donations of time and money from individuals and area groups and businesses keep the shelves filled.

Local organizations also step up to help. For example, Pekin Kiwanis helps pack backpacks for the annual Supply Drive and donates funds so students can attend prom and enjoy dinner. Other notable contributors to Dragon’s Closet include a partnership with the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce, church groups, and local philanthropic organizations like PEO. 

How to Support Dragon’s Closet
Any donation to Dragon’s Closet goes directly to helping PCHS students. In fact, as it also provides a valuable work opportunity for Special Education students, one could consider it a “double donation.”  Community members who wish to help can do so in a few different ways:

• Monetary Donations: Mail checks to PCHS in care of Dragon’s Closet or visit the Dragon Store located at the Principal’s Office entrance (top of the hill).
• Clothing and Toiletry Donations: Place new or gently used teenage-appropriate clothing and unopened toiletry items in the donation receptacle at the Principal’s Office entrance.
• Community organizations:  If you are interested in special opportunities for your group, please contact Val Springborn at [email protected].

Through Dragon’s Closet, the Pekin Community High School family continues to show that when a community comes together, it can make a real difference in students’ daily lives—and in their futures.