Clothes are an essential for everyone, from a person’s favorite pair of heels, to a useful rainy day jacket. The problem is that not everyone has the resources to afford the clothing they need. In recent years, the price of clothing has skyrocketed while quality has dropped. In order to combat some of these effects, Pacifica’s Choir hosted a clothing drive on Saturday, November 14th to help the people who need it most. Some of the clothes they were looking for included soft, warm clothes, and bedding for the winter; essential parts to a useful wardrobe.
The clothing drive hosted by Pacifica’s choir, held on the 15th of November from 7 A.M to 10 A.M, saw a massive outreach despite the heavy rain. Plenty of locals made their way to the large parking lot in order to donate some of their less used clothes for a better cause. Sophomore Amelia Maczynski took time last Saturday to volunteer and run the event. She emphasized the importance of this clothing drive, expressing, “People can take clothes that they might have thrown away and donate it to a program at our school that needs it. We did a very good job telling people about the drive since a lot of different people, not just people who are connected to the choir, brought in clothes and it was really nice to see people at Pacifica.”
The efforts of the Encore students were clearly driven by a deeper appreciation for their community. Senior Miranda Hubbard-Canales shared her love for her community, stating “I hope that our choir has fun with the activities we have planned and I hope. I love the family that the clothing drive creates and I love the choir program and helping others. I just have so much love for my community.” Volunteering is more than showing up, it’s about being an engaged and active member of your community. Being a part of Encore not only means singing your heart out, but it also entails working towards a better neighborhood.
Overall, the success of a clothing drive isn’t just measured in the amount of clothes received, but also on its ability to bring together a community. Students, parents, teachers, and community members all came together to collect much needed clothing and through this, it sets a precedent that when one person is in need of help, that they know their community has their back covered.
