Days before Thanksgiving, the Wallkill High School lacrosse athletes volunteered at the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry to help distribute turkeys and restock the food pantry.

According to Coach Alex Danon, the team has been volunteering every holiday for the past six years.
“I don’t have to pressure any of them to help out, it’s a great team bonding experience,” said Danon, “They get to know each other as people and they get to help their community. It shows them the human side of things.”

Lacrosse Captain Colin McCartney expressed how personally enriching it is for him and his teammates to make a small difference in their community.

“It was a great feeling that these people who volunteer all the time valued us for showing up once. That’s why volunteering is so great, it gives you such a feeling of happiness and makes you feel that you are truly doing something better for others.” said McCartney.

Wallkill High School Athletics places great importance on their commitment to their community and how much they rely on them. Both Danon and McCartney emphasized how important it is for sports teams to give back to the communities they play for and work with their teams off the field.

“Without a solid community, sports teams are not able to thrive like they do. Fans and the community provide moral support along with funding and donations to the programs. So as we benefit from the great community we have here at Wallkill in every sport, it is only right that we give back to the people who do so much for us.” said McCartney.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic did disrupt the team’s community service efforts last year, this year they are focused on getting back to it and aiding more food pantries throughout the year. Prior to the pandemic, the team had relationships with various food pantries in the area where they volunteered.

“We were only able to go to the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry this year, so we’re reaching out to others to make sure we help as many parts of the community as we can.” said Danon.