MANITOULIN—Members of the Manitoulin Panthers peewee hockey team were doing a good deed at a couple of local grocery stores last weekend to raise money and collect food donations for Manitoulin Family Resources (MFR).
“We were very successful at both stores on the Island (at the Valu-Mart stores in Gore Bay and Little Current), raising over $400 at each, with lots of food being donated,” stated Scot Hughson, coach of the Panthers, on Tuesday. The Panthers bagged groceries and carried them out for customers and in turn customers had the opportunity to provide a monetary or food donation in one of the boxes the Panthers provided in the stores.
“We had two players at the door explaining to customers as they came into the store what exactly was going on and why they were bagging and carrying the groceries out for customers,” explained Mr. Hughson. All the money and food donations will go to MFR and the Christmas Manitoulin Food Bank basket campaign.
The Panthers team is entered into the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup competition this year. The premise of the contest is “to inspire young Canadians to do good by transforming the positive values through hockey into Good Deeds.”
The Panthers are also receiving assistance from the Ducks, a Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) team who will be carrying out a cultural exchange with the Panthers squad. The Ducks will be here this weekend in Little Current, “and we will be playing an exhibition game on Sunday. We will be having dinner afterwards.”
Mr. Hughson pointed out the Panthers will then be going to Toronto on January 10 to join up again with the Ducks team for a tour of the city, and an exhibition game.
The Panthers peewee team is made up of coach Hughson and players Grayson Orford, Ryland Priddle, Keannu Bisschops, Rylan Carrick, William McComb, Kyle Nodecker, Jack Carter, Noah Grenier, Corbin Best, Gage Hughson, Mya Balfe, Zaagaasge Toulouse, Liam Lariviere, Caleb Lockyer, Zacharie Seguin, Isabella Hughson, and Kallan Jones, and other team staff members including Clayton Best, Jacqueline Carter, Jason Hughson, Daylin Orford and Travis Orford.