Pequea Valley MAY 6, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 7,160 HOMES
Stacking the Pantry BY LOGAN MOYER
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D
ylan Houck has gotten much older, but his urge to feed those in need hasn’t gotten any weaker. Dylan was a 4-year-old when he started his annual Helping Hunger Food Drive in 2015. He collected 400 pounds of food over two weeks in his inaugural effort. Dylan, now 15 and a freshman at Pequea Valley Secondary School, is aiming to collect 20,000 pounds of food for the Chester County Food Bank (CCFB) in this year’s drive. “Children in the summer whose parents can’t come home from work and feed them, they don’t really know where their next meal is coming from,” Dylan said. “They don’t even know when they’ll eat next.” Dylan, the son of Jackie and Thomas Houck of Gap, is joined in the effort by his two younger brothers, Wesley and Tyler. Last year, the family delivered 19,360 pounds of food to CCFB in early May. The effort began in 2015 when a
Dylan Houck and his mom, Jackie, have been staging the Helping Hunger Food Drive every year since 2015.
power outage sparked a conversation about lost food. When Dylan’s parents explained to him that not every family could just go out and get more food, Dylan didn’t sleep too well that night.
“I woke up the next morning still pretty upset,” said Dylan, whose parents suggested they get some food and donate it to a food bank. “Then I started naming all of my little preschool friends, asking if
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PV Girls’ Basketball Standout Named to All-State Team BY LOGAN MOYER
Relax • Refresh • Recharge
her family as “a basketball family.” A decade later, Patterson is now the all-time leading girls’ basketball scorer at Pequea Valley (PV) and was recently named to the PA Sports Writers All-State second team for the second year in a row. “I don’t really know if I was Janae Patterson handles the ball for the Braves their 45-29, District Three AAA openingexpecting it the first year I got in round victory over visiting Brandywine See All-State pg 2 Heights on Feb. 21, 2023. Photo by Connor Hollinger
Some of its offerings aren’t exactly what one might consider traditional Olympic sports. But what makes Special Olympics so special is that it unlocks potential, it explores the therapeutic nature of athletics, and it enhances lives. “My favorite part is watching the growth of athletes as people,” said Lynn Lopez, a team lead for Special Olympics Lancaster. “Not just as athletes, but as individuals,” said Anne Phillips, a sports team leader for Special Olympics Lancaster. “I have one particular athlete who was shy and reserved, and now he’s not afraid to speak with anybody. He’s developed quite a bit of confidence.” Special Olympics Lancaster uses sports to serve local residents with intellectual disabilities and delayed development issues. Athletes are mentored by coaches, learn the finer points of sports and are afforded opportunities to interact with peers and other members of the community. T hose oppor tunities that Special Olympics L ancaster provide are free to participants and their families. Special Olympics Lancaster does not maintain a brick-andmortar office space, but its management team meets at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of every month at Keystone Custom Homes, 227 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster. “Many times, after high school, our athletes don’t have ways to enjoy sports,” said Phillips. “We’re able to bring joy to the See Olympics pg 7
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P laying basketball was a natural choice for Janae Patterson. Just like her older siblings, Patterson began playing in the New Holland Upward Basketball League when she was in second grade. Her dad was her coach. She described
Special Olympics Explores Pure Nature of Sports BY JEFF FALK
See Food Drive pg 5 Thursday, July 2nd Pittsburgh Pirates at Philadelphia Phillies
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