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John Carlson Brings All the Girls to the Yard (Well, the Capital Area Food Bank, Anyway)

Volunteers, both famous faces and everyday fans, pose at the end of a successful afternoon of work at the Capital Area Food Bank (All photos credit: M. Richter)

When it comes to community service, the Caps always generate a good turnout.

Slap the words “Washington Capitals” onto a charitable event, add a player’s name, and full attendance is virtually guaranteed.  It works for blood drives, school beautification projects, and on a Tuesday before Thanksgiving it generated over 40 volunteers for packaging and sorting donated goods at the Capital Area Food Bank.  The title of this article is in deference to the fact that 75% of the volunteers for the event were female, as is often the case with Caps-related community service initiatives.

In addition to one of Washington’s favorite defensemen, the event boasted quite the distinguished guest list.  Alan May, former Capital and current CSN-Washington commentator, proved that he can pack a mean box.  Chilli Amar, a radio host with Mix 107.3 and vocal Caps fan, gave up an afternoon of her scheduled vacation to tie bags and help sort donated goods for processing.

All in all, the volunteer group packed 1200 bags for distribution (including items such as dry cereal, canned beans and vegetables, pasta, cornbread mix, and boxes of milk designed to be stored at room temperature).  Caps Care, the charitable non-profit arm of the Capitals organization, also made a $10,000 donation to the food bank.

In addition to the time donated on Tuesday, there will also be a canned food drive going on at tonight’s home game against the Winnipeg Jets.  In keeping with the John Carlson theme, the first 2000 people who contribute a donation will receive a John Carlson poster.

M. Richter

Em is a fan of hockey first and individual teams second, with geographical ties that cross the NHL. She was born in the Midwest, raised along the East Coast, and graduated from a university in Western Canada. A firm believer in context above all else, and a card-carrying on-ice official with USA Hockey, she splits her time between the big picture and the details. When not covering the AHL and ECHL for Caps Outsider, her photography can be found on Behance and Flickr. She also occasionally chimes in about the Hershey Bears on the Power Play Post Show.

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