Greenport receives $17K donation for uniforms
Greenport School District is the latest recipient of a donation from Southold and Greenport IGA owner Charles Reichert amounting to nearly $17,000 for new athletic uniforms. Mr. Reichert on Tuesday presented a check to Greenport school superintendent David Gamberg and athletic director Chris Golden.
Mr. Reichert has made a contribution in support of local athletics before. In August, he donated nearly $25,000 toward a new backstop and dugout fencing at the Mattituck baseball field. He had noticed the low and rusted backstop while watching his grandson play for Babylon High School’s varsity baseball team at the field.
When Mr. Golden saw a Suffolk Times article about the donation, he decided to reach out to Mr. Reichert.
“I thought, ‘Wow! That’s great,” in terms of helping Mattituck,” Mr. Golden said Tuesday. “Greenport has some needs as well.”
Mr. Reichert said he would certainly like to help out, Mr. Golden said. After some discussion, new uniforms for junior varsity and varsity teams were pinpointed as a necessity.
Teams that will receive new uniforms include football, baseball, basketball and girls volleyball. The Porters’ football team tends to be an expensive sport to outfit with more than 40 uniforms needed, Mr. Golden said. Those new uniforms will keep the same style, with purple jerseys and gold pants, he said.
“It’s a morale changer for us and for our athletes,” Mr. Golden said, adding that when athletes look good, they feel good.
Mr. Golden said Greenport coaches who heard of the donation are “thrilled to death to have anything new.”
“Mr. Reichert is a magnanimous and generous man,” Mr. Golden said. “I can’t speak enough about the man.”
The local businessman could not be reached after news of the donation broke Tuesday afternoon.
Photo caption: Greenport athletic director Chris Golden, from left, IGA owner Charles Reichert and superintendent David Gamberg. (Courtesy photo)
