On Saturday, Feb. 10, the 10th annual Guns and Hoses charity hockey game took place at the Willie O’Ree Place. During the game, representatives from the Fredericton Police Force took on those from the Fredericton Fire Department in a fun but intense game of hockey for charity.
Brady Atwater, a constable for the Fredericton Police Force, was one of the members planning the event. Last year, in his first year as a Mountie, Atwater assisted in planning and organizing the game. He took the lead in planning all while taking part in the festivities.
“In 2022, I was made known of the event and asked to tag along and help organize the event, as it is a group effort by everybody; us and the fire department,” said Atwater.
This year’s Guns and Hoses game supported Fredericton foodbank Greener Village. From the game, the two groups of first responders raised over $9300 in monetary donations and 1,707 lbs. of food. Fans were also asked to bring non-perishable food items for the local organization.
This is the second year in a row the fundraiser game has supported Greener Village.
“This year we decided to stick with the same organization, as people are using the food bank now more than they ever did before.”
As first responders who regularly work with community members and organizations, it is important to give back to the community, said Atwater.
In the end, the game did not disappoint. Coming on the heels of last year’s thrilling overtime win, the police continued their winning way, defeating their first responder rivals 5-4, which meant that the fire chief had to dawn the jersey of the police force for a photo-op, an added stipulation this year. During the game, Atwater had two goals and two penalties.
“There was some excitement leading up to the event, as always, as we’re both very competitive groups who both obviously want to win the game,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, the real winners are the food bank, with the support we’re able to provide for them.”
Alex Boyd, the CEO of Greener Village, said the support from the police force and fire department is “huge” for the non-profit organization.
“Greener Village is very much a community organization. It depends on the community to be involved and help us to do our work,” said Boyd.
One issue with food insecurity is that it is not spoken about enough, said Boyd. Events like the Guns and Hoses game can increase conversations surrounding food security work.
“That is very, very important for the fight that we’re having against food insecurity.”
According to a 2022 study done by Proof, a research-based group that investigates and publishes reports on food insecurity, New Brunswick experienced “moderate” rates of food insecurity, which is the second highest among the rest of the Canadian provinces. The highest province was P.E.I.
As for what Greener Village plans to do with the donated food, Boyd says it will go to those in the community in need or those struggling to put food on the table for their family, which the organization has already started to carry out in the days following the charity hockey game.
