GREENFIELD — Basketball players are usually known for dishing out assists, not hamburgers and hot dogs, but on Tuesday, that’s exactly what the Greenfield High School girls’ basketball team was doing.
The varsity and junior varsity team greeted, grilled and served a luncheon at the firehouse in Greenfield to give back to the first responders in Greenfield.
Firefighters, police officers and EMTs congregated on the second floor of the firehouse around noon and every player in the girls’ high school program was on hand to pitch in and give back. The idea for the giveback came from Glenn Wilson, an assistant football coach at the school, who helped coordinate a similar meal that the Greenfield football team served at the Greenfield Senior Center in August. Greenfield girls’ basketball coach John Hickey, who is also an assistant with the football team, loved the idea and pitched it to his players.
“Everybody wanted to do it,” Greenfield junior Lizzie Howland said. “We loved the idea of giving back to the community.”
Wilson had also done a similar cookout for the first responders who serve the Pioneer Valley Regional School district when he coached football there a few years ago, and the idea to once again honor the first responders — this time in Greenfield — seemed like a no-brainer to Hickey, especially considering that one of his players, sophomore Samantha Smith’s father Dan Smith works for the fire department.
“It’s nice to be able to give back to the people who risk their lives every day,” Hickey said.
Samantha Smith was one of the three players who stood at the front door to the firehouse to greet the first responders upon their arrival.
“It was something we wanted to do, it was not something we felt like we were forced to do,” she said.
“Yeah, it’s great team-bonding,” senior Grace Kennedy added.
The Girls’ Basketball Booster Club provided the funding for the hamburgers, hot dogs and buns, and each player was responsible for bringing one item such as a bag of chips, dessert, condiment or drink.
Fire chief Robert Strahan said everyone was very grateful for the meal.
“We certainly appreciate their efforts,” he said. “It’s nice to get all the public safety people together for a meal.”