Alec Adair presents a check for $402 for Buddy Packs in Cooper County to The Food Bank Executive Director Lindsay Young Lopez.
A Boonville graduate recently raised $402 for the Buddy Pack program there after hosting a youth basketball camp and using the experience for his senior class project.
Alec Adair said he selected hunger as his project topic because he recalled volunteering for the Buddy Pack Program when he was in middle school. After helping assemble them, he had the opportunity to distribute the packs to elementary school children.
“You don’t think about hunger being a problem in Boonville,” he said. “You don’t think about it until you actually see it.”
This spring, Alec hosted a two-day boys and girls basketball camp, charging a $10 entry fee and asking parents for donations.
Then, he presented the project to his college preparatory English class.
“I presented to the class, but I didn’t ask for donations,” he said. “My teacher did, and $200 flew out of pockets. I was not expecting that. That was awesome, getting it from high school students. It restored my faith in humanity.”
Alec is now headed to Central Methodist University in Fayette, where he is considering a career in education, coaching or communications.
“I like working with people,” he said.
And he also plans to continue philanthropic efforts.
“This was an awesome experience.”