For the second year in a row, the boys of the U17 Tsawwassen Blues soccer team showed they have holiday spirit.
During the opening 44 minutes of their Christmas party, the gold level players chattily worked around a large kitchen countertop and made close to 450 peanut butter and jam sandwiches for Food on the Corner, a local charity that serves Downtown Eastside residents a nutritious lunch every Saturday.
That's about 10 sandwiches a minute, more than four times the number made at last year's party.
"Every week we try to outwork our opposition," says coach Jeff Irving. "It was a pleasant surprise to see the lads apply the same energy and stamina they have on the field to doing something for others."
And the goodwill efforts didn't end there.
The soccer players and their parents also collected a big basket of warm coats and jackets to send to Operacion San Andres, a mission charity that helps the poverty-stricken in a shantytown near Lima, Peru.
The social evening was fun for all, especially knowing that some caring outreach can go a long way toward helping people less fortunate, both near to home and far away.
