The Union Pines High School band program hopes to "refresh" its program with some new instruments, but students need local support.

The school is campaigning for all the votes it can get to be a finalist in the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project, which will award a $25,000 grant to one of 15 groups.

The grant would allow the program to replace its instruments that are over 15 years old.

As of Monday, Union Pines' idea was ranked ninth on the Pepsi Refesh Project's website.

The top 15 vote getters at the end of the month will be finalists for the grant.

Though the school sought the grant and did not receive it last year, Chris Walker, a band parent who is currently deployed in Afghanistan with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, submitted the idea to Pepsi again this year.

Voting for the contest ends Nov. 30 at midnight.

People can vote by texting "109484" to "73774," or by visiting the school's Pepsi Refresh website, www.refresheverything.com/uphsband.