The Westlock Thunderbirds Football Club is helping to tackle hunger this Christmas break by raising money for the Westlock and District Food Bank.
Players from the club were at Sobeys the week before Christmas, working shifts bagging groceries.
“In turn, Sobeys makes a very generous donation back to our team, and we in turn donate that to the Westlock food bank,” said T-Birds’ fundraising coordinator Tammy Anderson.
“It’s a way of giving back to the community.”
This is the third year the club has taken on this fundraiser — not just to help out a worthy cause in town but also as a way to instill the Thunderbirds values into the players.
One of our main philosophies is to give back to your community,” she said. “They want these young men to be upstanding, responsible adults that value hard work, value friendship, value trust, value teamwork.”
Those are the kinds of values instilled by the coaching staff throughout the football season, and those values carry over into the players’ day-to-day lives as well.
In past years the effort has raised about $600 for the food bank, and Anderson said she figures they’re on track to do the same this year.
As for the public reaction, Anderson said it’s been overwhelmingly positive.
I’ve gotten phone calls saying it’s so nice to see young guys — especially teenage boys because they get a bad rap — it’s nice to see them out,” she said. “The public thinks, maybe there’s some good kids out there after all.”
Player Dom Byvank sees the benefit as well, both in terms of giving back to the community and of helping to raise the Thunderbirds’ profile.
“I think it’s a good way to get our name out there,” he said, in between helping customers Dec. 23.
“They’ll know we’re not just a bunch of spoiled brats who know how to play football.”
He also noted that helping out with groceries is a great way to recognize the support Sobeys has given the club over the years.
