Neepawa Natives hope farmers will Harvest for Hockey

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Published on Thursday, August 20, 2015

By Eoin Devereux

The Neepawa Banner

The Neepawa Natives are hoping a new initiative will grow a little extra support for their bottom line. The junior ‘A’ hockey team has created Harvest for Hockey, a project where local farm families are being asked to donate a portion of their crop to help support the operations of the club.

Natives board member Cam Tibbett said that within the next few days, farms within a 20 kilometre radius of Neepawa should receive a letter outlining the Harvest for Hockey concept.

“This is something the team is very excited about. We’ve mailed out details to farms across the region. Neepawa and surrounding area has a vibrant farming community, so it’s very important for the team to explore options for making partnerships with farmers,” said Tibbett.

Natives general manager Myles Cathcart noted that it is very important for the hockey team to establish a stronger connection to the region’s agricultural base. 

“The area has a strong farming heritage and the Neepawa Natives are looking forward to making partnerships with area farmers to not only promote the positive influences of farm families on the community but also ensuring the hockey organization is able to thrive in the coming seasons,” said Cathcart.

The crop donation being pursued for the inaugural Harvest for Hockey project is canola. The plan is for farmers, who have committed to donating an amount of bushels, to contact the club during harvest. The team will then drive to the field in a rented truck and the farmer can use their hopper to donate the preferred amount of canola.

As part of the donation, all participating farmers and their immediate families would be recognized on signage at the Yellowhead Arena, as well as online on the team website. The Neepawa Natives are also planning a Harvest for Hockey game night early in the season, where the club would recognize its contributors and extend a free gate admission of up to six tickets to all of the participating Harvest for Hockey farmers and farming families.

The team added that if anyone is interested in becoming a Harvest for Hockey supporter, or if they have additional questions, they can contact Cam Tibbett at (204) 841-3060.