On Thanksgiving morning, members of the LaGuardia Community College women’s basketball team fed the homeless at the Catholic Worker food bank in Manhattan’s East Village. The Red Hawk arrived at 7 a.m. and helped prepare the food for a breakfast serving until 11 a.m.

“It was a moving and humbling experience that they will never forget,” said LaGuardia head coach Anthony Alfaro, a parishioner at American Martyrs parish, Bayside. “Some said it was the best Thanksgiving they ever had.”

One of his players, Neikyla Reid, sent him the following e-mail, thanking him for the opportunity to give back on Thanksgiving:

Coach I really had the best thanksgiving ever. It was one of the most heart-felt and amazing moments of my life. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, but I never really searched for an outlet to do so. I’m honestly thankful for you and your family. Although you’re still “The Grinch” sometimes, you’ve helped me in my development as a person in more ways than I wanted to allow. Today’s experience reminded me that the little things still matter, and despite what I may be going through, there are others in the world going through the same and worst. The dynamic between the girls was amazing. Not everyone started on the same step, but when the pressure came on, we learned to trust and depend on one another. I’ve never seen that sense of togetherness amongst the team before. Even the “not so social” people did something. It was a well-needed experience for all of us, and there was something in that place that we ALL can take home.