Albany FireWolves fans toss 925 teddy bears for charity

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany FireWolves fans showed their giving spirit during Saturday's game at MVP Arena by participating in a "Teddy Bear Toss" that benefits St. Catherine's Center for Children.

This season, the Abany FireWolves entered a three-year partnership with the St. Catherine's Center for Children, a human services provider that operates more than 20 programs, including Albany County's only homeless shelter dedicated to families. The teddy bears tossed onto the turf at Saturday's game will go to kids who need something to uplift them.

"That's who we are. If we're not giving back to the community, then we're not being great members of this community, so it's important that we do that, and different things throughout the year," said Albany FireWolves Team President Chris Porecca.

Tuesday, members of the team's front office staff, along with a representative from St. Catherine's Center for Children, gathered at MVP Arena to count the stuffed animals tossed by fans. The total number came out to 925.

"They're going to bring hope to a lot of kids in our foster program, our residential program, and our school," said Santino Thomas, Director of Marketing and Communications at St. Catherine's, "this was an impressive showing by the Capital Region."