Wheatley graduate gives back by creating 100 baskets for WES families

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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.

The Apopka Chief and The Planter are weekly community newspapers, independently owned and family operated, that have served the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923 and 1965 respectively. Subscribe today!