Calhoun football charity game to help those in need

1- We had 45 athletes and 4 team managers participate, one team of 7 was only my track and field girls who felt compelled to help and play.

2- They brought in canned and box foods to supply our school community cupboard; a program that supplies needy families with food, meals, hygiene necessities, ect, through the entire year but the the cupboard really needs more support doing holiday time.

3- Between playing, collecting food and donations, organizing the canned and box goods, brining them over and loading the cupboard, anywhere from 5-7 hours is a comfortable estimate.

4- Since the pandemic struck us in march, our kids have lost so much the past 8 months. Not only did school change on them completely, but many used sports as an outlet and that was taken away. So we started wanting to have the kids come together and play a fun thanksgiving flag football game when the district allowed it, but then we thought of all the other people who have been struggling during these times. Many who lost there jobs, homes, business, ect and we wanted to help them as well. We always support the community cupboard so we know the strain the holidays put on it, so it seemed like a great idea to help them while helping our athletes have some fun and give back some normalcy into their lives. Many of our kids said it was the best day of the year so far and Im just happy we can do anything to make them smile at school. So between doing the right thing for my athletes, we also helped a lot of families that needed it more than ever this year by collecting over 60 lbs. of food!

Link for any pictures :

Newspaper article:

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Although it’s a challenging school year for high school athletics, the football team at Sanford H. Calhoun in the Bellmore-Merrick Central School District decided to focus on something bigger than themselves. 

The Colts banded together to assist local families struggling with hunger by organizing a flag football game on Nov. 24. The price of admission was food donations to the district’s food pantry, the Community Cupboard. 

“Despite missing out on their sports seasons, taking classes in person and virtually, they never forgot that selfless attitude we try to instill in them every day,” said Coach Joseph Migliano. “When I brought up the idea all of our athletes jumped at the opportunity, not just to play a game but to help those who needed it most.”

The varsity squad split themselves into six teams of eight for a double-eliminations tournament. 

Teams were guided by varsity leaders like Asher Carmen, Ryan Baci and Timothy Mack. Senior Nicole Devlin, the football team’s kicker, as well as a member of the soccer and track teams, served as managers alongside Sara Manson and Alex Unz.

“It was the best day of the year for me and my team so far,” Devlin added. “Not only did it bring our team closer, but it felt so amazing to see how we could come together to give back to our town. In such a hard time, it was so easy to help, and I know that this was just the beginning of the Calhoun Colts helping Bellmore-Merrick.”

The effort was made possible with support and assistance from Principal Nicole Hollings and Athletic Director Eric Caballero.

The team did more than bring the minimum; the football team with some help from the girls track and tield team collected more than 56 pounds of box and canned goods for the community. 

“Our student-athletes from Calhoun know there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that they can still bring a community together without sports for now,” Migliano said. “The food raised will go on to feed countless local families over this holiday season and that’s something the boys and girls took a lot of pride in accomplishing. I feel really lucky to work with these kids, in this district that has overwhelmingly supported myself and the student athletes throughout these troubling times. While we were complaining about not playing football, there were families that didn’t know where their next meal was coming from.”

Photo caption: Calhoun students participated in a flag football game for charity.

Photos courtesy of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District