Photo: Belleville Senators
It was a festive and giving holiday mood inside CAA Arena in Belleville this weekend.
Fans of the Belleville Senators came together to cheer on the team and contribute to community causes through Holiday Weekend.
Saturday’s game versus the Cleveland Monsters featured one of hockey’s greatest holiday traditions, the Teddy Bear Toss, in support of the Belleville Professional Firefighters Association Toy Drive.
Several stuffed animals, toys and dolls littered the ice following Arthur Kaliyev’s second period goal, with all items being collected and sorted into bags to be given to children in the area for the holiday season.
“This year, we have over 800 boxes that are needing to be distributed this year,” explained Belleville Fire Prevention Officer and Toy Drive chair Richard Quick.
“We really appreciate the support. Stuff that’s not donated, we need to try and buy or source out, so this takes a lot of pressure off of us.”
Residents are still encouraged to donate new, unwrapped toys, books and games for children aged 0 to 12 or to contribute monetary donations to the cause.
Donations will Belleville Fire Station #1 (60 Bettes St.), Belleville Fire Station #2 (72 Moira St. West) and participating local businesses, including: Quinte Mall, Belleville Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Benton Fry Ford, Walmart, Canadian Tire, The Dugout, East Hill Family Dentistry, Bardon/Bathworks and Doug’s Bicycle.
Both games also saw opportunities for locals to fill barrels at various locations around the rink with non-perishable food items in support of the Gleaners Food Bank
Gleaners Community Engagement Specialist Jodie Jenkins reiterated the need is greater than ever, not just in Belleville and Quinte, but across the province and the country.
“Year-over-year, I can tell you we’ve seen a 20-per cent increase in visits,” Jenkins said in an interview Sunday.
“We’re packing over 1,100 food boxes on average per month, and that number continues to rise.”
He added there has been a growth in young children needing nut-free snacks to take to school and encourages people to donate those and other priority items all throughout the year beyond the holiday season.
Jenkins expressed his appreciation for the community’s efforts to assist the food bank.
More on Gleaners can be found on its website.
Final numbers of donations from both initiatives are still being calculated.
Belly’s Birthday Party, a Sunday Brunch and a post-game skate were all part of the itinerary on Sunday as well.
Photo: Gleaners Food Bank/Facebook
