Seneca Valley Donating Athletic Gear to Superstorm Sandy Victims

Seneca Valley is giving away its cleats for a good cause.

At Monday’s school board meeting, officials unanimously approving donating athletic shoes and other sports apparel no longer used by Seneca Valley students to a community in Ocean City, N.J. devastated by Superstorm Sandy.

“The students there lost everything,” said Seneca Valley athletic director Heather Lewis.

Lewis said the WPIAL approached her and other school districts in the area about supplying the hard-hit community with sports equipment. There will be four drop-off points for sports apparel around the region, including at North Allegheny High School, she said.

In Seneca Valley’s case, Lewis said she would assess Seneca Valley’s inventory of shoes and warm up suits from two of the high school’s teams—soccer and track—for quality before sending them on to Ocean City.

District spokeswoman Linda Andreassi emphasized the materials being donated are gently-used items that have been in storage at Seneca Valley for a number of years.

"There are a few things in our closet that we can afford to provide for this worthy cause because they are no longer being used," she said.

She added students and parents typically buy their own warm-up suits. The suits Seneca Valley has in storage were borrowed by students who could not afford to purchase their own, she said. When the sports season end, the students return the items.

She added there would still be plenty of warm up suits and other items available for Seneca Valley athletes following the donation.

"There will still be an inventory there for students to use if they can’t afford to buy their own," she said.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Ocean City community suffered an estimated $440 million in damage.