Florida Panthers donate $1 million towards hurricane relief

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 10: Aaron Ekblad, left, and Vincent Trocheck of the Florida Panthers collect money to aid hurricane relief efforts in Florida before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on September 10, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 10: Aaron Ekblad, left, and Vincent Trocheck of the Florida Panthers collect money to aid hurricane relief efforts in Florida before a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on September 10, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Ivins/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Days after hurricane Irma passed, the Florida Panthers decided to donate a good amount of money towards the relief program.

On Tuesday September 12th, the Florida Panthers announced that they would participate in a $2.7 million donation. The funds would go towards a rebuilding process, that would allow the state of Florida to rebuild accordingly, following hurricane Irma.

The Cats donated $1 million, while the Tampa Bay Lightning matched the Panthers in return. The NHL and other various players have kicked in the rest of the funds, to meet the $2.7 million target.

Apart from the donations that were made, the Panthers didn’t stop there. The Panthers have arranged for on-ground food/water accommodations to be made. This also includes a free food truck (for all) which has taken place on Wednesday September, 13th.

Panthers sponsor (JetBlue Airlines) has paid for Wednesday’s free meals, which was offered to anyone who visited the BB&T Center. The BB&T Center has also served as an emergency storage area, along with housing 2,000-2,500 crew workers.

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Miami Dolphins corporate sponsor (AARP) will also match dollar for dollar pledges, upwards to $750,000. Others associations like ‘The NBA Players Association’ have also pledged a $500,000 donation to hurricane relief. NBAPA will also match any individual donation up to $20,000 according to NBA star Point Guard, Chris Paul.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, had a few words to say on the matter:

“The devastation throughout Florida was heartbreaking, but I am inspired by the resilience and spirit of our state to help rebuild. Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to those impacted by Hurricane Irma and we are committed to helping in long term recovery efforts.”

Stephen has also pledged that he will donate $1 million to the region’s rebuilding and recovery efforts.

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Overall, it’s great to see the people of Florida coming together during difficult moments like these. With patience and hard work, the state of Florida should recover quite well and return to where it previously left off. From those of us who are abroad (including myself), do know that we all are thinking of the people down in Florida at this crucial time.