Back to school in Boston: TD Garden hosts celebration to benefit 5,000 city students

TD Garden’s philanthropic arm, Garden Neighborhood Charities, on Tuesday teamed up with The Salvation Army and city officials to host the fifth annual Back-to-School Celebration for thousands of Boston-area students.
 
In addition to distributing close to 5,000 backpacks full of school supplies to students, the celebration on the arena floor at the Delaware North-owned-and-operated venue featured games, giveaways, educational booths and a “Family Feud: Back-to-School Celebration Edition” game show. Participating in the game show were CEO of Delaware North’s Boston Holdings Charlie Jacobs, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, TD Garden President Amy Latimer, General Secretary of The Salvation Army of Massachusetts Gregory Hartshorn and Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
 
Students attending the celebration received their backpacks full of supplies and also had the opportunity to play floor hockey, shoot hoops, enjoy healthy snacks, take school bus safety lessons, and participate in other educational activities that promote a healthy lifestyle and encouraged collaboration with community leaders and mentors.
 
Joining in on the giving back was local sponsor TD Bank, which partnered with First Book to donate 20,000 new, high-quality books to help educators and students start the school year strong.
 
Additional sponsors for the event included Delaware North Sportservice, the Boston Bruins Foundation, Boston Celtics, Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan, Comcast Cable, Costa Fruit and Produce, IHRSA, Reebok, Sal’s Pizza and Vistar.