SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – The Springfield Thunderbirds honored local educators with a Teacher Appreciation Night during Saturday night’s game against the Charlotte Checkers.
Teachers from all over Western Massachusetts were invited to enjoy the T-Birds game. And one of his lucky teachers even got to drop the puck during the pregame ceremony.
22News spoke to the night's lucky teacher and the event's sponsors to find out why this game is so special.
Shamir Anthony, a teacher at Sumner Avenue School in Springfield, said, “Not only do I teach, I also coach and tutor, and I do so many things that I'm proud to have contributed to the community.'' It's nice to be recognized.”
“We appreciate their hard work in educating our children and helping them grow up properly in our community,” said George Morgado, owner of Allied Flooring. he added.
And Teacher Appreciation Night wasn't the only effort to promote the importance of local education at Thunderbirds games. Stop & Shop donated $15,000 to Springfield Technical Community College for the school lunch pantry at the T-Birds game.
Stop & Shop presented Center Ice with a check to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Stop & Shop's School Food Pantry program, which serves more than 230 schools in the Northeast.
“Success doesn't stop in the classroom,” Stephanie Cunha, communications manager for the supermarket company, told 22News. “They have to be able to eat and grow. If we can take that worry away from our students and allow them to focus on their grades and success in school, that's really what we're about. ”
“We are really fighting food insecurity on our campuses, in our communities, and across our city, which is why we are partnering with Stop & Shop in this project,” said Jose López Figueroa, director of STCC’s Access Services Center. “Partnerships are very important,” he added.
Since 2019, Stop & Shop has supported Springfield Technical Community College's food pantry, donating a total of $61,000 to stock shelves with nutritious, long-lasting food.
