Club Collects 973 Pounds of Canned Food Items to Help “Strike Out Hunger”
The Delmarva Shorebirds, the class “A” affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, are thrilled to announce that the club has collected 973 pounds of canned food items to benefit the “Strike Out Hunger” campaign associated with 2011 South Atlantic League All-Star Game presented by Perdue. Therefore, Sherman the Shorebird, who was banned last week from Perdue Stadium until the club accumulated at least 500 pounds, has been saved. Sherman will be able to attend Tuesday night’s exhibition game against Salisbury University and the rest of the games because of the generosity of the community.
The “Strike Out Hunger” campaign was developed in conjunction with Perdue and the 2011 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, which will be contested on June 21 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The campaign is focused on raising food donations and funds, and encouraging volunteer efforts to benefit the Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Food Bank, the Food Bank of Delaware and the Eastern Shore Branch of the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia.
The Shorebirds kicked off the canned food drive by collecting over 200 pounds of food at the 9th Annual Hot Stove Banquet at The Fountains Wedding & Conference Center.
More recently, on March 26 at the annual Fan Fest event, fans contributed nearly 275 pounds of canned food items. The Shorebirds also raised $124 dollars for the initiative at Fan Fest.
“I was a little worried for Sherman when we banned him from the ballpark, but the overwhelming generosity of our community was amazing,” said general manager Chris Bitters. “The Strike Out Hunger campaign is off to a great start.”
The Shorebirds also received a significant contribution from Ovations Food Services employees and members of the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club.
Sherman the Shorebird will be in attendance on Tuesday, April 5 when the Shorebirds play an exhibition game against Salisbury University at 7:05 p.m. Fans are encouraged to bring canned food items to the game. Drop boxes will be located right inside the main entrance to the stadium.