In the aftermath of the April 27 storms, members of the Pell City Panthers football team took time out from their spring workouts to help some of their neighbors recover from the devastation.

“It was a good opportunity for us to be sweating and doing some work for others,” head coach David Shores said.  “We’ve got a lot of good, capable kids who don’t mind pitching in and lending their strong backs to help their neighbors.”

The Panthers spent a day working in the Shadydale Mobile Home Park, where one resident was killed and wind and fallen trees damaged several homes.  “Several of our kids live in the area, so they were really helping their own neighborhoods,” Shores said.

Besides helping the community, the effort was also good for team unity, according to the coach.

“Stuff like this that we can do away from football really helps to build a bond between the players,” he said.  “A lot of young people today aren’t exposed to serving others the way some of us were growing up.  Things like this help us teach them the rewards of helping others.”

As the athletes hauled away debris and helped cut and remove uprooted and fallen trees, “people came by and offered to donate food and drinks,” Shores said.  “We had one person who anonymously donated some pizzas.  That really meant a lot to the kids.”