The Homer Trojan baseball team recently gave back to the community through their volunteer work at the Christmas Bureau in Syracuse. Student-athletes spent the day unloading boxes, toys and stuffed animals as trucks arrived and helped sort them in bins.

“It really makes us think about how fortunate we are and where we come from,” Homer Senior Tyler Van Etten said. “Not everyone is fortunate enough to have the holidays that we do.”

“This is such a wonderful event for so many reasons,” Homer Baseball Coach Robert Nasiatka said. “Not only does it do so much good for the community, but it also provides our players with perspective for how fortunate they are. We are so thrilled to be able to help.”

Each year, The Salvation Army of Syracuse works with dozens of community partners to provide Christmas food and toys to nearly 10,000 people in need. Families arrive on distribution day for much needed help for the holidays.

“The different ways our teams get involved to help the community continue to amaze me,” Homer Athletic Director Todd Lisi said. “This is just another way our student-athletes are showing that ‘Blue Pride’ goes far beyond our school walls.”