Staten Island, NY | In keeping with their yearly tradition, the College of Staten Island baseball team partnered with Teddy Atlas and the Theodore A. Atlas Foundation to deliver hundreds of Thanksgiving turkeys and meals to the many in need this holiday season. The annual event helps bring complete turkey Thanksgiving dinners to almost 1,000 area families in need and is something the Dolphins have been doing since as far back as Head Coach Michael Mauro can remember.
“This is the 11th year that we’ve partnered with the Teddy Atlas Foundation, and watching my team and coaches help the less fortunate makes me proud to be the head coach of this program,” commented Mauro. “Being able to show the team that there are people in the community that need our help and that we can make a difference in their lives is an overwhelming feeling.”
Members of the team and coaching staff were in West Brighton throughout the morning as they unloaded two trucks full of Thanksgiving fixings, including turkeys, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and much more. In all, the foundation was able to give away nearly a thousand meals. It was a cold and windy morning, but the baseball players and staff were aware that many families brave the harsh conditions every day on Staten Island. To offer them a chance for a warm meal during the holidays certainly resonated.
“Community service is a huge part of being a Dolphin,” said Mauro. “Winning games is great, but helping your community is where the real winning comes in, and it’s what this team is all about.”
Many other local businesses and markets support the cause as well, including Richmond County Savings Foundation, The Office of the Borough President, Met Foods, Fairway Market, and Western Beef, just to name a few.
The Dr. Theodore A. Atlas Foundation is a Staten Island-based community service organization that provides financial, legal and emotional support to individuals and organizations in need, and focuses particularly on the needs of children. It was founded in 1997 by boxing trainer and commentator, Teddy Atlas, in order to honor the memory of his father. In the spirit of Dr. Atlas, who provided free medical care to those who could not afford it and made house calls to give personal care to his patients until he was 80 years old, the Foundation has attempted since its inception to ease the burden of the less fortunate among us. And it accomplishes this in a very human way, in a way which preserves the dignity of the people it helps.
