MONTVALE—The Pascack Pi-oneers, the Pascack Valley Regional High School District’s award-winning robotics team, are once again demonstrating their commitment to community service with their Fifth Annual Valentine’s Day Food Drive. Running through Friday, Feb. 21, the initiative aims to collect essential food and personal care items to benefit the Hillsdale Helping Hand Food Pantry and the Tri-Boro Food Pantry in Park Ridge.
“A core value of the Pascack Pi-oneers has always been helping others during difficult times,” says Victor Urumov, co-CEO of FIRST Team 1676 Pascack Pi-oneers. “We started our Valentine’s Day Food Drive to support local food pantries and people in need throughout the cold winters and to inspire others to give back to the community. This year, we are excited to be celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Valentine’s Day Food Drive, thanks to the generosity of our community.”
Where and How to Donate
You can contribute by donating canned and non-perishable food, and personal care items (the most requested items include flour, sugar, oil, baby products, shampoo, conditioner, liquid hand soap, dishwashing liquid, hot and cold cereal, rice, pasta, personal care products, paper goods, canned fruit, canned vegetables, and canned meats) at several designated locations:
- Hillsdale ShopRite;
- Hillsdale Kings market;
- Lobbies of the Hillsdale, River Vale, and Montvale public libraries; and
- Lobbies of Pascack Valley and Pascack Hills high schools.
Those unable to visit a donation site can arrange a pickup by writing piparents@team1676.com.
To further support the cause, the team designed and constructed two permanent food donation bins in partnership with Hillsdale ShopRite, allowing customers to contribute throughout the year. Team members collect and deliver donated food bi-weekly, and since the summer of 2022, the bins have collected more than 3,500 pounds of food. A similar donation bin was recently donated to Kings market.
“Our team is committed to helping those in our community who are experiencing food insecurity,” said Treshan Nilaweera, co-CEO of the Pi-oneers. “This food drive is one way we work to make a meaningful impact.”
Pi-oneers Enter 21st Robotics Season
While the Pi-oneers focus on giving back, they are also in the midst of another exciting FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) season. Now in their 21st year, the team of 52 students from Pascack Valley (serving Hillsdale and River Vale) and Pascack Hills (serving Montvale and Woodcliff Lake) high schools is preparing for competition through their rigorous build season, which runs January through February.
The team competes in the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District, which includes teams from New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Their first two competitions will take place at the Robbinsville and Warren Hills events in March, where they aim to qualify for the FIRST Mid-Atlantic District Championship at Lehigh University.
Last season, the Pi-oneers earned the prestigious FIRST Impact Award at the District Championship, automatically qualifying for the World Championship. The FIRST Impact Award is the highest honor in the competition, recognizing teams that advance respect and appreciation for STEM education and community outreach.
According to FIRST Robotics, the Impact Award celebrates “outstanding success in advancing respect and appreciation for engineering within a team’s school, organization, and community.”
The Pi-oneers were also winners of the Mt. Olive Event and finalists at the Bridgewater-Raritan Event last season, adding to their impressive record of competition achievements.
Beyond Robotics: Global Outreach and Innovation
The Pi-oneers go far beyond building robots. Their International Outreach Project Group mentors robotics teams in South Africa, Nigeria, Haiti, Brazil, Taiwan, Turkey, and India.
Additionally, they work with FIRST LEGO League teams at local middle schools to inspire younger students in STEM.
One of their standout initiatives is Ready, Set, Speak! (readysetspeak.org), a website designed to help children with autism and apraxia of speech improve their pronunciation using verbal imitation exercises. Initially launched in English and Spanish, the site is being translated into French, thanks to a partnership with the French Honor Society at Pascack Valley High School and French teacher Mrs. DelGiudice.
The Pi-oneers’ mentorship with a Haitian FIRST team has also helped expand the tool’s reach by providing videos that enable them to share this valuable resource in Haiti.
The team collaborates with the Pascack Hills High School Medical Club to host an annual Red Cross Blood Drive, further cementing their role as a force for good in the community.
For more information about Team 1676, visit team1676.com. To sponsor the team reach out via piparents@team1676.com.
There’s more! Follow on Facebook @pascackpioneers; Twitter/X @FRCTeam1676 and @Team1676Safety; and Instagram @frcteam1676 and @frcteam1676safety; and catch the action on their YouTube: Team1676 (match videos are available).