Thunder Helping In The Community
November 24, 2009 - International Hockey League 2 (IHL 2)
Bloomington PrairieThunder News Release
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. - The previously announced 'Beat the Hunger' and 'Beat the Cold' campaigns involving the Bloomington PrairieThunder, Salvation Army and Home Sweet Home Ministries gets underway Friday at the PrairieThunder game against at 7:05 p.m. Port Huron at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.
Christmas trees, decorated with ornaments of PrairieThunder players, will grace the concourse level. On the reverse side of the ornament, items (such as canned food goods, paper products, baby food and supplies, etc.) that fans can purchase and donate to the Salvation Army and Home Sweet Home Ministries will be listed.
A collection will be taken at the entrance of the game of coats, hats, mittens and scarves for children and adults as well as men's clothing and canned goods. Fans should bring the donated items to PrairieThunder games Nov. 27-Dec. 12. For each item given, the donor will receive one entry into the drawing for an autographed PrairieThunder team picture and hockey stick.
"Due to donations being significantly down this year, we are in need of extra personal items to help fill our food pantries," said Andrea Raycraft, the development director at The Salvation Army of McLean County. "We've seen a 25 percent increase in new people we've served this year in McLean County and that number will only go up.
"We have packaged over 3,700 pantry orders to date. This community has always stepped up and given all they can to help those in need and we are praying that is the case again this year. We appreciate all that the PrairieThunder hockey team is doing to help us. These are new and creative ways to help out and it's exciting to see an up and coming team partner with our agencies to meet those needs."
Sabrina Burkiewicz, the vice president of marketing and retail operations for Home Sweet Home Ministries, said her agency is experiencing similar demands.
"Home Sweet Home has seen a 30 percent increase in meals being served at the shelter since July with record meals served in this last quarter," said Burkiewicz. "Requests for food boxes have also sky-rocketed. "We're grateful for our community partners, the PrairieThunder, and their efforts both on and off the ice to help us serve the homeless."
PrairieThunder coach Jarrod Skalde remembers the significance of last year's event and the good feeling the team experienced from helping out.
"The community has been so good to us and we want to do anything we can to assist those who are in need," said Skalde.
Tickets for all PrairieThunder games can be purchased at the Coliseum box office or by calling Tickemaster at 1-800-745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com.
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