The GIANTS welcomed Hawkesbury Football Club to GIANTS Stadium last week following the devastating recent floods that destroyed their training ground for the second time in 12 months.
As part of the GIANT Hand initiative, the club invited Hawkesbury’s senior men down for an experience to train like the pros, as well as donating new tackle bags, footballs and $5,000 to help the club re-build.
GIANTS co-captains Toby Greene and Stephen Coniglio were also on hand to help put the players through their paces and present the donations.
“We’re out here tonight to spend a bit of time with the Hawkesbury guys who’ve lost their ground to the floods and provide them with some new equipment” Green said.
“We know how important our community clubs are, so if we can help in any way to get them back on their feet and playing football again, that’s a good result for everyone.
With the AFL Sydney competition kicking off their season this weekend, Hawkesbury Football Club Team Secretary Geana Smith was overwhelmed by the generosity of the GIANTS, explaining that some of the money would go towards paying ground fees to allow them train elsewhere – something they’ve not been able to do since the floods.
"The club has been hit by floods twice in 12 months, and this time the clubhouse was underwater," Smith said.
"To train at a professional stadium and meet some of the players is a great experience for the team - this is something we never thought the guys would be able to do."
"We are a tight-knit family club, and I have no doubt we'll bounce back with the support of our local community and the GIANTS support," Gail said.
The GIANT Hand project which launched last year during lockdown is an initiative which saw the club partner with several community organisations to provide meals to vulnerable members of the community who were facing the most severe lockdown conditions in Western Sydney as a result of COVID.
Following a busy few months helping those in Western Sydney, the GIANT Hand project have turned their attention to helping those who have been affected by the floods throughout regional NSW and Sydney.
As well as raising more than $100,000 already for those impacted by the floods which you can donatate to here, the GIANTS made and delivered 3000 meals directly to the residents of Lismore who were hit hardest by the floods earlier this month.
The meals which are prepared at the GIANTS training facility in Sydney Olympic Park will continue to be delivered to those in need across NSW for at least the next month with the program to be extended when and if required.
Thank you again to our GIANT Hand community partners Lighthouse Community Support Network, Canterbury SES, Fettayleh Foods and Fresh Poultry Gow Street, and PCYC Bankstown.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE GIANT HAND FLOOD RECOVERY
