Serving hot and healthy suppers to Calgary’s homeless helped Cochrane High School’s basketball players put their own lives into perspective during the plentiful holiday season.
“We see how fortunate we are,” said 17-year-old point guard Shannon McManus. “We’re really lucky … not to have to worry about where you’re going to spend the night.”
More than 30 players, parents, siblings and coaches from the Cobras senior girls squad travelled to St. Mary’s Cathedral Hall on Sunday afternoon to participate in the Feed the Hungry program. The faith-based service provides a full course sit-down dinner to about 500 disadvantaged people nearly every Sunday of the year at St. Mary’s Cathedral.
Head coach Randy Peron has been organizing the trip for the last seven years.
“It’s very humbling when you see people who are struggling have a healthy, hot meal,” said Peron. “It’s just a great reality check … I think it’s important that the kids see this.”
Players had different tasks and jobs throughout the two-hour dinner period, from serving to clearing tables to offering drinks and more.
McManus was on dessert duty, along with fellow baller Elana Sarabin, and they handed out a variety of sweets, including carrot cake and cheesecake, to hungry church visitors.
“They’re always so nice and so thankful,” Sarabin said, adding she enjoyed a nice chat with a woman in her 60s who reminisced about a former career and her family. “They like having somebody to talk to.”
Grade 11 student and Cobras forward Brittany Janzen, 16, has taken part in the annual charity dinner for four years – twice as a member of the team, and twice more when she tagged along with older sister Marina, who was also once a Cobra.
Janzen said the experience always helps to her appreciate her own relatively charmed life and to remember how fragile any kind of privilege can be.
“It definitely is an eye-opener,” she said. “You just have to look on the bright side of things – you don’t take things for granted.”
Peron knows, when he hears those kinds of sentiments, he will keep making the trip to Calgary with his team – even though it’s far removed from his responsibilities on the court.
“We’re here to teach them life lessons. The bonus is they get to play basketball…,” said Peron. “It’s not only just about playing the game – it’s about being a team player.”
