On Saturday, March 27, during the second intermission of the Monarchs game against the Adirondack Phantoms, Ron Covey, President & CEO and Tom Champagne, Director of Community Outreach from St. Mary’s presented a check to Melanie Gosselin, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Food Bank. Fans attending the Monarchs game on Saturday, April 3 against the Providence Bruins were encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to the game as part of the Monarchs “Put Hunger On Ice” promotion, which resulted in the collection of nearly 800 pounds of food that was donated to the New Hampshire Food Bank to be distributed to charities throughout the state.

As the state’s only food bank, each year the New Hampshire Food Bank provides six million pounds of emergency food to needy people through its more than 400 non-profit registered agencies. These agencies include food pantries, neighborhood centers, low-income housing sites, senior nutrition centers, family crisis centers, hospices, soup kitchens, emergency shelters, after school programs and day cares.

Champagne says that St. Mary’s appreciates the vital role that New Hampshire Food Bank plays. “As a result of the community coming together to support this worthwhile cause, each week over 26,000 different people in New Hampshire struggling with hunger are supported by local food pantries, shelters and soup kitchens that receive a vast majority of food from the New Hampshire Food Bank,” he notes.

“St. Mary’s Bank and the Manchester Monarchs have worked hard all season toward supporting these charitable efforts, and for that, we’re very grateful to both organizations,” said Gosselin.

“The residents of Monarchs Country in tandem with our partner, St. Mary’s Bank, have assisted many families in our community through their generous efforts,” Monarchs Senior Vice President Cheryl Abbott said. “We are very proud to partner with St. Mary’s Bank and we are also proud of our wonderful fans and their support of the community.”