Project Bread, Celtics, Eliot School and Sal’s Pizza Trap Hunger

The Celtics basketball season may be over, but they’re still waging battle against another formidable adversary, more formidable than the Heat, Spurs or Pacers-HUNGER! And they have assembled an All*Star cast to help with a full court press against this relentless opponent. With a starting line-up of ‘Project Bread’, Sal’s Pizza, the Eliot school and getting an assist off the bench from the Nazzaro Center, the team was able to raise $4,000!

Captained by Project Bread executive director Ellen Parker, this well balanced squad got key contributions from all its members right from the opening tap.   Sal’s Pizza, owned and operated by brothers Sal and Mike Lupoli, and the Celtics provided the financial punch while the Eliot school fifth graders contributed a public relation campaign via posters, pamphlets and a video, which was premiered in the Nazzaro Center gym along with a basketball clinic, some special Celtics guests and a presentation of the $4,000 check to Project Bread.

It was a morning to celebrate all the hard work this team put into their efforts over the past few weeks. Before the video and check presentation, Boston Celtic Director of Community Relations Dave Hoffman emceed a program for the 4th, 5th and 6th graders from the Eliot that consisted of a basketball clinic conducted by former Celtic and NBA All*Star Dana Barros and a special exhibition of magical dunk shots by everybody’s favorite leprechaun, Lucky! Interspersed amid all this celebration were inspirational talks and heartfelt thanks to all the 5th graders involved with this project by Ellen, Dave, Dana and Lucky. Eliot principal Traci Griffith summed the whole experience up succinctly when she said, “This was just the first quarter. You have to fight against hunger right up until the final buzzer…and beyond.”

By Carl Ameno  ·  May 6, 2014  ·  North End Waterfront  ·  Original Article