By Erin Sue
Hamilton, Ont. – Hamilton Tiger-Cats offensive lineman Marwan Hage helped hand out 1,500 food boxes to those in need this past Saturday as his Hage’s Heroes community program held their second Thanksgiving Food Share Program at Ivor Wynne stadium.
For this initiative, Hage’s Heroes and FTC Canada joined forces to provide food boxes containing non-perishable goods to 1,500 Hamilton families. The families were chosen based upon need and were selected through various organizations including the Eva Rothwell Centre and the Dream Centre here in Hamilton.
Families came by the stadium between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. for this event that hosted a slew of volunteers from FTC Canada, who helped direct people and hand out the food hampers. In addition, Maple Leaf Foods and Pepsi generously donated hot dogs and beverages that were prepared by the staff of Compass, the Ivor Wynne Stadium concessionaire.
“The Ticats play their part in a whole lot of ways, a lot of this food and the volunteers get involved because of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. We really pool our resources, contacts and relationships for this event and Marwan also contributes personally,” commented Ryan Fletcher, the Canadian Representative for FTC Canada.
The Ticats ticket sales staff teams up Hage’s Heroes to run a Thanksgiving Program last week that asked season seat holders to purchase tickets to the October 12 game for $10. With 1 dollar from each ticket going to the fundraising campaign, fans helped to raise over $1,300 for children in need in the Hamilton area.
“This is a great initiative that we did with the team. The support that I have from the team and the organization is tremendous,” said Marwan Hage.
This year’s drive marked the second year that Hage’s Heroes has partnered with FTC Canada for the Thanksgiving Food drive. The Ticats previously work with the organization in 2007, as the Danny McManus Tribute Dinner raised funds for the charity.
“Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when families get together and eat. Some people got through struggles and can’t have those meals together everyday. We try to provide that opportunity for not only this one day, but maybe up to a weeks worth of food where they don’t have to worry about where they are going to get their meal,” stated Shawn Burke, Director of Community Relations and Media Relations with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. “Now these families can focus on being together and having fun.”
