Latham, NY- The New York State Public High School Athletic Association Inc. (NYSPHSAA) and CP Sportswear (Naples, NY) have teamed up to donate clothing and other items to the victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The items donated were primarily NYSPHSAA Championship merchandise from previous years events and included shirts, sweatshirts, sweatpants and shorts.
A total of 68 boxes of NYSPHSAA merchandise and apparel was collected. The United Way of Texas assisted NYSPHSAA and CP Sportswear in coordinating the delivery of the items to the Community Care Prayer Outreach in Nederland, Texas. The donated items will be distributed to those in need in the Beaumont and Port Arthur areas. In addition, the owners of Gunlocke Furniture (Wayland, NY) raised over $300 which was used to purchase new socks for needy victims in Texas as well.
In total, NYSPHSAA and CP Sportswear donated the following items:
68 Boxes of donation items
1457 short sleeve t-shirts
548 long sleeve t-shirts
648 hooded sweatshirts
352 pairs of sweatpants
350 pairs of socks
52 clinch bags
32 pairs of shorts
“We saw the devastation in Houston and all of Southeast Texas and knew we had to help,” Don Knataitis, Owner of CP Sportswear. “My wife Yvone and I reached out to longtime friend G Guerreri, Texas A&M Womens Soccer Head Coach, to see how we could help. We had boxes of unused
NYSPHSAA championship merchandise from years past and talked to Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director, about sending it to help those in need.”
Zayas and his staff did not hesitate to support the effort and assist with the plan.
“When Don reached out to me about donating NYSPHSAA items to help those in need, I thought it was a fantastic idea,” said Zayas. “We did a similar donation like this last year for those affected by flooding in Louisiana. Anytime we can help those who have been devastated by a natural disaster, it’s an easy decision to try and help.”
The items were shipped free of charge by Leonard’s Express of Farmington, NY. The donation items were packed and shipped late last week and expected to arrive in Texas sometime early this week. This is the second such effort for disaster relief by NYSPHSAA and CP Sportswear. Last August the two groups aided victims in the flooding in Louisiana.
