OXFORD – Beginning this evening and spilling over into Wednesday night, a group of local high school students will donate their time and camaraderie for two area food pantries by way of an organized food drive as a community outreach.

With a dozen seniors paving the way for 10 juniors, participation in the program shows a marked increase over last year’s 12-member group.

Under direction of Oxford Academy's Jane Ford, the Oxford chapter spends much of its time participating in community service efforts, and the 2015-2016 group echoes the values handed down from previous years.

The organization will continue to build upon the success of its past food drive, served up with a clever twist that evokes participation from students, school athletes and members of the community.

While the Oxford boys’ and girls’ JV and Varsity basketball teams are hard at work against rival Unidailla Valley Tuesday and Wednesday night, members of the Blackhawk Honor Society will be busy collecting non-perishable food items in lieu of admission into the games.

Spectators can also choose to opt-out of the effort to fill McDonough and Oxford food pantry shelves by paying with cold hard cash which will likewise be donated.

The fee of one item per student or two items per adult (alternatively $1 per student, $2 per adult) will all go toward lining the shelves of the two local pantries.