December 5, 2009
The Eastman Selects and the Beausejour Beavers have a goal to make off-ice assists during the holiday season for those who are less fortunate.
The local hockey clubs will both be accepting tins and nonperishable food stuffs at their upcoming December hockey games and donating the items to the Beausejour and Area Food Bank in an effort to fight hunger and feed hope.
Selects manager Ken Friesen said the idea for the Manitoba AAA Midget team to get involved in the project came from Walter Beck, the father of Selects player Tim Beck.
With the Selects getting involved in shoe box donations for children and Christmas hampers when the club was based out of the Steinbach area, Friesen said the organization decided to step up in their inaugural season in Beausejour.
"The community has done so much to welcome us we felt we‚d do something like this to give back," Friesen said. "Walter came to us and asked us if we’d be interested in doing something like this and we are very excited to get involved."
The Beausejour food bank services a large portion of the North Eastman region feeding hundreds of individuals over the course of a year. The organization also receives approximately 8,000 pounds of produce from local growers to be distributed to those who need support.
Emily Kozera of the Beausejour Food Bank said items like coffee/tea, vegetables, peanut butter, pasta, canned fish, canned or powdered milk and other food stuffs are always in high demand.
"Cereal," Kozera said when asked what the No. 1 request was. "We always run out of cereal."
The Selects will be accepting tin for the bin donations at the Sun Gro Centre Dec. 12 when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at 8 p.m. and Dec. 13 when the Norman Northstars will be in Beausejour for a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee game.
This is the fourth year the Beausejour Beavers will be involved in a tin for the bin food drive. In previous years the club has had good results and hope hockey fans step up as they‚ve done in the past.
"It’s the least we could do," Beavers coach Chris Wielgosh said. "Christmas can be a tough time so we‚re hoping we along with our fans can make the season a little brighter for some people."
It’s also the fourth year the Beavers will be providing a holiday hamper for a Beausejour Brokenhead area family through the Togs and Treasures Christmas Hamper program being run out of the Beausejour Masonic Lodge Ophir No. 112.
Hamper program coordinator Dianne Kruk believes approximately 75 hampers are already required but says the final number will probably top out at around 100.
The family selected for the Beavers has three young boys ages three to 11. For Beavers fans interested in donating for the trio of youngsters, items suggested by the hamper committee include gender appropriate toys, warm winter clothing, T-shirts and other garments of assorted sizes. All items must be in new condition.
The Beavers will be accepting tins for the bin and hamper donations at the Sun Gro Centre during their Dec. 11 game against the Selkirk Rivermen at 7:45 p.m. and again on Dec. 19 when they host the Lac du Bonnet Blues at 7:30 p.m.
Families, businesses or organizations interested in providing hampers to needy families this Christmas should contact Kruk at 268-4469 as soon as possible. Those in need of a hamper should call Family Services (Beausejour) at 268-6071.
Monetary donations on behalf of the Selects and Beavers can be dropped off at the Beausejour and Area Food Bank‚s 730 Park Avenue location.
Beavers captain Dave Pleskach (left), Selects captain Brett Hanson and their respective teams will be collecting ‘tin for the bin’ food bank donations for two weeks
Selects, Beavers collect items for food bank
One beautiful goal
