Haverhill, MA (February 12, 2023) – The recent earthquake that has affected thousands of citizens of Turkey and Syria has hit home within the Northern Essex Community College men's basketball team, as three members of the Knights call Turkey their home. Those members are sophomores Metin Yavuz and Mehmet Asik, and freshman, AtaSavas Kurtulus.
Men's basketball coach Darren Stratton is pleased to announce that the team has partnered with the Free Range Market in Medford to assist in their efforts of collecting clothing and goods to help the citizens of the affected countries, with the recovery efforts expected to take months.
"This has hit home for the entire program, not just the three from Turkey. We want to do our small part to help those in back in Turkey and Syria. We hope the community will join us in this effort," commented Stratton.
The following items are being collected for children and adults: raincoats, boots, sweaters, gloves, scarfs, beanies, socks and underwear. Additionally, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, thermos bottles, flashlights and power banks, as well as hygiene products for both men and women, baby formula, and diapers are all items being collected.
Items can be dropped off all week between 8:30am – 4:30pm at the Sports and Fitness Center on the Haverhill Campus, running through Saturday, February 18th when the Knights host the Community College of Rhode Island at 12:00pm for their regular season finale. The team will also be collecting items during the game.
For additional information please contact NECC Director of Athletics Dan Blair dblair@necc.mass.edu or Stratton dbstratton9@aol.com