Perdue Collects 9,395 lbs. to Strike Out Hunger

All-Star Game initiative off to great start

An employee-led food drive to support the “Strike Out Hunger” Campaign on Delmarva generated more than 9,350 pounds of non-perishable food items 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.

Building on a company commitment to fighting hunger in our communities, Perdue is sponsoring the 2011 “Strike Out Hunger” South Atlantic League All-Star Game at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium on behalf of the three Feeding America-affiliated food banks serving Delmarva.

The associated “Strike Out Hunger” Campaign, which will run until the June 21 game, is focused on raising food donations and funds, and encouraging volunteer efforts all across Delmarva to benefit the three food banks.

As Andrea Williams, vice president and controller of Perdue Foods and Maryland Food Bank Advisory Board member, explains, “The ‘Strike Out Hunger’ campaign is a community effort. It’s not a Perdue effort alone, but our associates stepped up to encourage the rest of Delmarva to join Perdue, the Shorebirds and our food banks to strike out hunger on Delmarva. This shows what can happen when people combine their efforts to help the hungry in our communities.”

The two-week food drive engaged associates from Perdue facilities on Delmarva. Associates were able to donate enough food to the three food banks combined to provide more than 7,200 meals for families and individuals on Delmarva.

On April 12, associate volunteers helped unload and sort 3,638 pounds of donated items to the Eastern Shore branch of the Maryland Food Bank in Salisbury.

“For 25 years, Perdue has been dedicated to the support of the Maryland Food Bank’s mission,” said Eastern Shore branch manager Jennifer Small. “This is another example of that relationship.”

The Eastern Shore branch of the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia received 1,218 pounds of food, all from the Perdue Accomac processing plant associates.

“I am truly proud and excited for the Accomac Processing Plant and all of their associates. In a relatively short amount of time they collected over 1,200 pounds of food,” said branch manager Charmin Horton. “We are very grateful to Perdue for all of the support they give to the food bank, not only during this ‘Strike Out Hunger’ campaign, but throughout the year.”

In Delaware, associates, including those at the Georgetown and Milford plants, donated 4,539 pounds of food, which benefitted the Food Bank of Delaware.

“I was amazed how the Perdue team jumped up and started collecting,” said Food Bank of Delaware Milford Branch Manager Crystal Timmons. “They showed us how working as a team makes things so much stronger. The Food Bank of Delaware is blessed to have so many partners stepping up to the plate for ‘Strike Out Hunger.'”

This article first appeared on the official website of the Delmarva Shorebirds.  Click here to read the original story.

 

SHOREBIRDS EXCEED CANNED FOOD GOAL AND LIFT BAN ON SHERMAN

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.

Fisher Cats Partake in Annual Day of Caring

Members of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats front office spent Wednesday morning volunteering their services at the New Hampshire Food Bank in Manchester and the Londonderry Toys for Tots as a part of the club’s annual Day of Caring.  The Fisher Cats front office also participated in the Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program and contributed gifts to local family in need during the holidays.

“It’s the very least that we can do as an organization and as individuals,” said Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner.  “These special organizations and their volunteers work tirelessly to make a positive difference in so many lives, especially during the holidays. We’re just honored to lend a hand.”

Half of the Fisher Cats staff headed to the New Hampshire Food Bank warehouse in Manchester where they assisted the Food Bank staff in sorting donated food items in preparation for delivery.  The other half of the Fisher Cats staff visited the Londonderry Toys for Tots headquarters and helped with organizing donated toys and readying them for distribution.

Earlier in the week, a local family participating in the Salvation Army’s Adopt-a-Family program visited Merchantsauto.com Stadium and received gifts including toys, clothes and Fisher Cats merchandise donated by each member of the Fisher Cats front office staff.

“There is no better feeling than knowing you can help to make someone’s holiday season a little bit brighter,” said Danielle Matteau, Fisher Cats Executive Director of Marketing and Public Affairs.  “As a staff, we just feel fortunate that we are able to make a difference.”

Timber Rattlers Garden for the Community

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers have taken on a community project this season that requires a green thumb. Rattlers Vice President of Marketing, Angie Ceranski witnessed a growing number of companies in the area planting vegetable gardens for a variety of reasons with the common initiative being the promotion of sustainability and locally grown food. She felt an undertaking like this would further demonstrate the Timber Rattlers’ support for the community while bringing food to the tables of families less fortunate.

In late May, the Timber Rattlers planted a vegetable garden just beyond the fence off the left field corner of Time Warner Cable Field. Led by Angie’s efforts, a handful of staff members and a couple generous contributors have helped make this project possible.

Lakeshore Cleaners, a local landscape company, prepared the garden plot and provided their special mix of compost. Shroeder’s Fox Valley Greenhouse, De Pere, provided the starter plants. And Home Depot (Appleton West) donated the garden fence.

Produce from the garden continues to be donated, throughout the growing season, to St. Joseph’s Food Program (‘Grow a Row’ program) and the Salvation Army. Both organizations provide food to area families need.

A photo journal to log the progress of the garden is available at: http://www.tratsgarden.blogspot.com/.

Signage at the garden site creates awareness of the garden’s purpose.
Work in progress just beyond the left field fence.

THUNDER FANS DO “GOOD DEEDS”

On Saturday, August 14, the Trenton Thunder hosted the first ever “Good Deed Game” with over 200 fans participating by making at least one donation to the four drives held outside the stadium.

The event featured a blood drive to benefit the Community Blood Council of New Jersey, a school supplies drive to support the learning center at the East Trenton Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, a non-perishable food drive to benefit the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank and a toiletries drive to support HomeFront.

Of the over 200 fans who made donations, 25% supported one organization, 40% made two donations, 31% supported three drives and 4% donated to all four.

“We always say we have the best fans in baseball and their giving nature really backed up that statement,” said Thunder Director of Community Relations Patience Purdy. “It was a lot of fun to see families with little kids getting excited about making a donation to help others.”

The Community Blood Council of New Jersey Blood Mobile collected 20 pints of blood, enough blood to potentially save 60 lives.  The 20 pints collected is the highest of the three drives held at Waterfront Park this year.

The Mercer Street Friends Food Bank collected 814 pounds of nonperishable food.  Mercer Street Friends notes that the amount is enough to supply a family of four with food for two months.  In the last two years, Thunder fans have donated over 1,700 pounds of food for the food bank through Trenton Thunder drives.

While quantifying the amount of school supplies collected is difficult, Patty Hughes, the Development Coordinator for Habitat for Humanity Trenton Area said, “The Habitat volunteers were overwhelmed with the response from the game attendees.  They mentioned that the bags of school supplies filled their car.  Please know how much the HFH-TA staff and the community appreciates the generosity of the Trenton Thunder and the fans.  The work and the commitment of all of the non-profits in Mercer County is amazing in these tough economic times. ”

HomeFront, an organization that helps families break the cycle of poverty, collected over 250 personal care items – shampoo, conditioner, lotion, bandaids, bar soap, toothpaste tubes and other toiletry items that will be put to use in their Family Preservation Center and other residences.

“Trenton Thunder fans are fun people with great big hearts!  The personal items that were collected cannot be bought with food stamps and provide a lot of comfort to people in genuine need,” said Anita Hanft, Director of Mission Advancement for HomeFront.

The Thunder provided incentives to fans who supported these local non-profit organizations.  Fans who donated to any one of the causes received a ticket to the Thunder’s Fan Appreciation Night vs. Akron on Thursday, September 2 at 7:05 pm.  People who donated to any two of the drives received the game ticket and a Thunder hat.  Individuals who supported three causes got the ticket, hat and on September 2nd they will be recognized on the field and throw a ceremonial pitch before the game. Those who support all four drives got everything plus a food voucher.

Gwinnett Braves Announce Grant Program

The Gwinnett Braves Division of the Atlanta Braves Foundation will begin awarding monthly grants to local non-profits in August. The winner of each month will receive a $1,000 grant, 50 tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game, a concourse table at a Gwinnett Braves game and a check presentation. Each non-profit that submits an application will receive 20 tickets to a Gwinnett Braves game.

“We are pleased to present the Gwinnett Braves Grant Program to the community as it is a multi-faceted program that gives all organizations an opportunity to apply and win one of our monthly grants,” said Gwinnett Braves GM North Johnson. “Gwinnett and our surrounding counties have been extremely good to our organization and we are excited to give back to this wonderful community. I look forward to reviewing the applications and awarding our first winner in August.”

Each month features a different theme and organizations may apply for more than one month and area of giving. Below is a list of the monthly themes:

January: I Have a Dream – Organizations that grant wishes, dreams and opportunities for the youth, elderly, injured or sick.
February: Heart Month – Organizations that bring awareness and/or raise funds for heart related diseases and illnesses or that promotes a healthy diet and fitness programs for children.
March: Salute to the Arts – Organizations that support art programs or education.
April: Take Me Out to the Ballgame – Organizations that promote youth athletics or activities.
May: Cancer Awareness – Organizations that bring awareness to cancer prevention/detection or that raise funds for cancer research.
June: Summer Safety – Organizations that fund or run safety programs for children.
July: Red, White and Blue – Organizations that support the military or military families.
August: Back to School – Organizations that support education or after school/mentoring programs.
September: All About Kids – Organizations that benefit children.
October: Four Legged Friends – Organizations that benefit animals.
November: Thanksgiving – Organizations that work to end hunger and/or homelessness, that support children and families that are homeless or that run and maintain a food bank.
December: Season of Giving – Any organization that benefits youth, education or sports programming may apply.

Non-profits that wish to apply can download the Gwinnett Braves Grant Application at gwinnettbraves.com.

The Gwinnett Braves operate under the Atlanta Braves Foundation and specifically focus on those organizations in Gwinnett and its surrounding counties. Through the foundation, the team is dedicated to providing social, educational and scholarship opportunities for the youth in our surrounding communities in connection with the activities of the Gwinnett Braves baseball club. Gwinnett Daily Post Editor, Todd Cline, and Gwinnett Braves front office members North Johnson and Courtney Lawson, General Manager and Community and Public Affairs Manager, respectively, make up the grant selection board.

RATTLERS AND SUPPAN COLLECT 480LBS FOR ST. JOSEPH’S FOOD PROGRAM

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, with the help of a rehab start by Milwaukee Brewers’ pitcher, Jeff Suppan, collected 480 pounds of non-perishable food items last Friday, the official start to the 2010 season.

The Timber Rattlers announced the “Bring Your Soup On in for Suppan” food drive to benefit St. Joseph’s Food Program shortly after they received official word that Jeff Suppan would be heading to Appleton to start the home opener on Friday, April 9.

The news quickly spread about the promotion in which fans who presented a non-perishable food item would receive a half price ticket to Opening Night. The canned goods piled up in the box office and added up to a total donation of 480 pounds from the 2,268 tickets sold. The food was delivered to the pantry Monday morning.

The Timber Rattlers and St. Joe’s thank all of the fans who donated to the food drive.

Lookouts, SunTrust and Fans Team Up to Benefit Food Bank

The Lookouts have partnered with SunTrust Bank to introduce “SunTrust Sundays” to benefit the Chattanooga Area Food Bank at AT&T Field this season.

For every Sunday game this season, with the exception of July 4th, fans are encouraged to bring canned food items to AT&T Field to put in the bed of the Lookout’s Dodger Blue antique truck parked outside the stadium. On SunTrust Sundays, each fan that donates food items will receive a free general admission ticket for that Sunday’s game. Tickets will be distributed on a “per person” basis and are subject to availability. The canned food items will be donated to the Chattanooga Area Food Bank.

“We are excited to partner with SunTrust to help the Chattanooga Food Bank, and utilize this opportunity to help our community, too.” said Lookouts Owner/President/General Manager Frank Burke.

“SunTrust Bank is looking forward hosting SunTrust Sundays and helping strike out hunger,” said Alexandra Santiago, Director of Sales and Marketing at SunTrust. “SunTrust Sundays is a solid partnership that enables us to encourage Lookouts Fans to help the Chattanooga Area Food Bank while enjoying a ballgame at AT&T Field.”

The Chattanooga Food Bank, whose mission is to feed the hungry by linking America’s food bounty with those in need, distributed nearly 8.8 million pounds of food to more than 125,000 families in need last year.

“The Food Bank is excited that Lookouts fans are joining our mission to feed the hungry. Food donated at Lookouts games will help replenish our Emergency Food Box pantry,” said Gary Paul, Development Director of the Chattanooga Area Food. “During the past two years, we have seen a big increase in demand for food assistance. Last year we gave out 17,000 food boxes to families in our community, twelve percent more than the year before. I cannot think of a better way to fight hunger: help your neighbors and see a great game!”

Blue Rocks Donate Nearly Half a Million for Local Causes

The Wilmington Blue Rocks proudly announce that the 2009 season saw the team, in tandem with its marketing partners and fans, donate and raise $424,000 worth of contributions to local charities, schools and community organizations. The sum represents a collective of many different types of contributions with the majority coming from monetary and ticket donations.

“We take pride in being able to contribute at this level to youth and charitable organizations in the greater Wilmington area,” said Blue Rocks general manager Chris Kemple. “I’m certain that we could not have done this without assistance from our 2009 marketing partners and fans that also played a large role in raising these funds.”

Blue Rocks concessionaire, Centerplate, allows community organizations the opportunity to volunteer at the concession stands during home games in return for a percentage of the money received at each stand. Thanks to this program almost $74,000 was given back to community organizations.

The Blue Rocks continue to support local youth baseball and donated over $1,600 as well as used baseball equipment to local Little League organizations.

Game-worn memorabilia auctions saw an increase in frequency and dollar amounts, helping to raise over $6,300. On April 19, the Blue Rocks wore purple hats to raise money for the Bernadette Farrell Memorial Fund as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Night. The Rocks sported pink jerseys on May 29 to benefit the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition.

The Rocks wore camouflage hats on May 30 and August 1 to raise money for Delaware Boots on the Ground and USO Delaware. On July 3, Wilmington donned patriotic jerseys to support United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware (UCP). The Rocks wore Red hats on June 25 to raise funds for the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula. The Rocks also sported gold jerseys on Aug. 13 for Elvis Night to benefit the local chapter of the American Lung Association. Blue Rocks players went beyond the laundry too, donating game-worn cleats and batting gloves that were auctioned off for charity.

Almost 60,000 tickets were distributed to area schools over the course of the season. Mascot Rocky Bluewinkle led the charge to promote literacy with

his Reading Challenge, presented by the Delaware State Education Association. The Blue Rocks worked with local schools to reward kids who met their reading goal. In 2009, over 150 area schools were awarded a total of 57,000 tickets. Along with Rocky’s Reading Challenge the Blue Rocks donated over 2,500 tickets through programs like the IFS Outstanding Students Program, which allows teachers to reward students who display excellence in behavior and performance in the classroom.

The team also donated over 8,000 tickets to community organizations throughout the 2009 campaign with 6,000 going to local fundraisers, 1,000 donated to the USO Delaware to use for their soldiers and staff, and the remainder finding a number of other local non-profit organizations in need. Those same non-profit groups received another $2,000 worth of free/discounted video board advertising and concourse tables to promote themselves and their worthy events.

The Blue Rocks organized special events to collect money and goods for those less fortunate. Before the season, the team held a gift drive for kids at the Mary Campbell Center. The team also offered ticket discounts to fans that donated items to the Food Bank of Delaware. The Blue Rocks Charity Golf Classic, held at Deerfield Golf and Tennis Club on Aug. 17, raised over $1,500 for UCP and CHILD, Inc. in one day.

Community appearances proved a regular item on the team’s calendar. Mascot Rocky Bluewinkle and numerous Blue Rocks players visited A.I. duPont Hospital for Children at least once a month throughout the season in addition to other appearances. Rocky logged over 60 community service hours at schools and charitable events as well. Rocks’ players put in over 20 hours despite their grueling 140-game schedule over five-plus months time. The Blue Rocks visited schools and community organizations throughout the Delaware Valley, tallying over 40 hours of their time throughout the season.

The K’s for Kids Program presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Delaware (BCBSDE) completed its fourth season with great success. BCBSDE donated $10 to a local charity for every home game strikeout the Blue Rocks pitching staff recorded. Thanks to this program, BCBSDE presented Girls on the Run a check for $5,000 before the Blue Rocks game on Sept. 2.

Challenger Little League returned for its annual day of baseball on May 12. Teams from the league were able to play their games on Judy Johnson Field before the Rocks’ contest later that night in a tradition that has spanned over a decade.

During the last homestand of the regular season, the Wilmington police department collected donations for the daughter of a slain Georgetown police officer Chad Spicer. The generosity of Blue Rocks fans contributed over $5,000 to Aubrey Spicer’s trust fund.

Blue Rocks players (left to right) Clint Robinson, Adrian Ortiz and Ryan Eigsti joined with Rocky Bluewinkle for a visit at A.I. duPont Hospital during the season. (Brad Glazier)

Royals, Team’s Advertisers and Fans Aid Several Worthy Causes

The Omaha Royals increased their giving to local charities, community organizations and schools during the team’s 2009 season. The Royals, with the help of several of the team’s advertisers and its fans, donated more than $861,000 this season, mostly in the form of tickets and cash. That figure was up almost $40,000 from 2008.

“We continually talk about being engaged in the metro community and 2009 was again proof of our mission,” said Martie Cordaro, Royals Vice President/General Manager. “We are excited about what we have planned for 2010 and hope that new sponsors will join us so we can even further impact the community.”

Two season-long promotions generated over $11,000 in cash for two charities. The “Hurl the Pearl” promotion, presented by Nissan of Omaha and McDonald’s, raised almost $8,200 for the Ronald McDonald House. Werner Enterprises donated $2,870 to PlaySmart through its RBI promotion, in which the Royals’ 2009 presenting sponsor pledged $10 for each Royals RBI at home.

Once again in 2009, the Royals held silent auctions of various specially-designed jerseys and caps – autographed by the players who wore them –  during several home games. On June 6, an auction of baby blue jerseys and caps raised $2,155 for the Nebraska Colon Cancer Screening Program. The Royals wore red caps on June 27, with that auction and a $1 donation for every red item sold at the Royal Treasures Gift Shop netting $1,114 for the ALS Association. The fourth annual Strike Out Breast Cancer Night on August 7 featured an auction of pink jerseys and the sale of pink hats, providing $3,479 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. An auction of Royals black hats on August 28 raised almost $1,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, while a September 3 auction of baseball memorabilia generated over $1,400 toward the team’s $11,000 goal to support the AllPlay Foundation in 2010.

In 2009 the Royals donated thousands of tickets to their home games, with most of them being earned by school children through good work in the classroom. Almost 24,000 students from 74 area schools were encouraged to read books in exchange for tickets to Royals games in the Hit the Books program, which was presented by the Nebraska College Savings Program. Nearly 11,000 students from 70 area schools received tickets to the team’s April 20 game for the 10th annual Cox Communications Home Run for Youth Day. The Royals donated 25,000 Reserved Seat tickets for their August 8 game to the Omaha Public Library’s Summer Reading Program.  10,000 General Admission tickets went to the United Way for that organization to use as a “thank you” gift for their donors.  Also, businesses and season ticket holders donated over 2,800 Royals tickets to Baseball Buddies, with those tickets going to kids who normally wouldn’t be able to attend a game.

The team’s Community Organization of the Night program continued to grow in 2009. Partnering with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the Royals provided over $53,000 worth of advertising, booth space and tickets to 72 non-profit groups and gave them a forum on-field and on the team’s game broadcasts to talk about those organizations’ work in the community.

Royals fans brought more than 2,200 cans and boxes of Our Family Brand food to Sunday home games, with all of it going to the Open Door Mission. In exchange, those fans received more than $15,000 worth of tickets.

The Royals staff, players and mascots were also busy away from the ballpark, with the staff giving more than 400 hours and the players and mascots chipping in over 200 hours to community service and appearances. On June 11 alone, Royals staff members committed more than 50 hours of community service, in honor of the team reaching the 11-million fan milestone earlier in the season. On August 22, a dozen staff members, family, partners from Lovgren Marketing Group and Casey took part in an ALS Walk at Elmwood Park, raising $4,500 in pledges. The team held its annual golf tournament on August 31 at Pacific Springs, raising more than $2,500 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association in honor of Royals manager Mike Jirschele’s family.