Flyers icon Bernie Parent, Snider Hockey assist families in need during coronavirus pandemic
Flyers legend Bernie Parent, Snider Youth Hockey, and two city departments are helping provide 2,200 meals a week for needy families. Parent and his wife, Gini, also designed a mask for people to wear during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bernie Parent, the Hall of Fame goalie who had shutouts in series-clinching wins in the 1974 and 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, is still delivering for Philadelphia.
Literally.
Parent, 75, joined members of the Ed Snider Youth Foundation in distributing free grab-and-go meals, bandannas serving as masks, and children’s books to those in need Monday morning in Northeast Philadelphia.
The bandannas, designed by Parent and his wife, Gini, with a picture of Parent’s goalie mask on them, were created to protect people from the coronavirus pandemic.
“You hear in sports, that if you want to win, if you want to succeed, you have to work as a team,” Parent said. “You should take that into the rest of your life. It’s the same thing here. If people need help, you have to be there to help them.”
In partnership with the Nutritional Development Services and the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department, Snider Hockey is assisting to provide 2,200 meals each week.
On Monday, Snider’s Tarken Ice Center was the drive-by pickup spot, where people stopped in cars and Parent was one of the delivery persons who handed them packages.
The bandanas/masks are available at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/sniderhockey/ with proceeds benefiting Snider Hockey.
“I tried to bring a positive attitude into it,” Parent said of the masks. “When you feel good and you’re happy, it helps. Little things like this give good results.”
Parent said the masks were a “good distraction” for people.
“Instead of focusing on the fear,” he said, “it helps you [stay positive]. It protects you, No. 1, and it gives you a sense to dream a little bit about the good old days when we won the Cup.”