AHS sports teams will start holiday food drive
Six local families in need will receive holiday dinners
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP
Staff Writer

ALLENTOWN - Two of the high school's spring sports teams will sponsor their first-ever holiday food drive this year.

In conjunction with their respective parent organizations, the AHS Parents Golf Association (AHSpga) Foundation and A-Town Baseball, the baseball and golf teams have announced their inaugural AHS Spring Sports Holiday Food Drive, according to Bruce Novozinsky, spokesperson for the AHSpga Foundation.

Founded under the premise that the student-athletes will "pay it back" for the support they have received from the community, coaches Doug Hunt and Brian Nice fully encourage and support the efforts of their teams to be involved in this worthy cause, according to Novozinsky.

Novozinsky said that the 2006 golf team was looking to raise funds to send the team to the 2007 National High School Golf Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in April when the idea was hatched to donate a portion of all fundraising efforts to feed families throughout the school district that would otherwise not enjoy a full meal come Nov. 23.

"When the baseball team caught wind of this idea, they quickly and enthusiastically came on board," Novozinsky said.

Parents of team members will shop for the food at the local Wegmans, where general manager Joseph Sofia, a parent within the school district, has made a considerable and generous donation, according to Novozinsky.

Novozinsky said the turkeys for the teams' effort will be donated by Nick Palumbo, of Palumbo Investigations in Freehold.

"The teams will provide the muscle to make sure the groceries get to where they belong," Novozinsky said.

The teams will select six families to benefit from this project with the help of the local schools and churches, according to Novozinsky.

"The parent organizations and the high school's athletic director, Brian Irwin, realize that privacy is the key issue," Novozinsky said. "No one wants to embarrass anyone. This is why we are raising the money, doing the shopping and turning over the goods to school officials and clergy for distribution."

The teams will deliver the goods to the churches and the schools for distribution, according to Novozinsky.

"These are good kids doing good things," he said.

According to Novozinsky, the AHSpga Foundation is not associated with the Upper Freehold Regional School District, its teachers, athletic department or administrative staff.

Those who wish to make a contribution are asked to contact the AHSpga Foundation at (609) 477-0954 or AHSpga@yahoo.com.