A graduate of Phillis Wheatley Elementary School is giving back to her alma mater in a huge way: by creating and distributing 100 food baskets to school families this holiday season.
Ashlen Bond-Lilly, who graduated from Wheatley in 2000 and still resides in Apopka, will distribute the baskets at the school on Wednesday, December 18.
For two months, Bond-Lilly packaged the baskets with help from her son Tristan, who turns 4 on Saturday, December 18, and her sister Shanay Lilly. They used supplies that were pre-ordered from the Neighborhood Walmart Apopka on Balmy Beach Road.
“It definitely feels like a full-circle moment,” she said about the basket distribution event.
Bond-Lilly got her taste of giving back to students while attending the K-5 school, where she was a hall monitor and a tutor for younger students. She is an employee of the Florida Department of Children and Families.
“It set the path for where I am because I’m still in the giving profession,” Bond-Lilly said.
Each basket is packaged with rice, canned vegetables, macaroni, and stuffing. Bond-Lilly said she wanted to make sure the baskets were packed with a variety of food that are commonly enjoyed during the holidays.
The basket distribution event will be video recorded for Bond-Lilly’s family-geared YouTube channel “T-Man Adventures,” featuring Tristan as “T-Man” and his super heroic adventures. She launched the channel last July.
“At any age in any financial capacity … I’m teaching him (Tristan) the importance of giving back,” she said.
There are plans to increase the amount of basket distribution within the Wheatley school community next year, Bond-Lilly said.