PHILADELPHIA – Citizens, Philabundance, the Philadelphia Phillies and Phans ambassador Aaron Nola today announced the 2024 Phans Feeding Families campaign to support hunger relief efforts in the Philadelphia region. Community members are encouraged to rally and support the cause through the PHANSFEED text-to-give program (now until Saturday, June 29), Phillies Charities, Inc. online auction (Monday, June 3 to Monday, July 1) and the Phans Feeding Families Game & Food Drive (Saturday, June 29).

To kick-start the campaign, Citizens has contributed $50,000 to Philabundance’s Community Kitchen (PCK), a free culinary vocational training program that prepares low-income students for careers in the food service industry. Through the program, students prepare 350,000 annual meals for community members in need and are connected with in-demand food services jobs.

“We’re proud to shine light on and support Philabundance’s innovative workforce development programs that are not only helping feed our neighbors in need but are also upskilling students for future careers.” said Dan Fitzpatrick, Mid-Atlantic President, Citizens. “We invite the public to join us in raising funds for the many ways that Philabundance transforms lives through food.”

In addition, Aaron Nola unveiled a public service announcement urging fans to take part in the cause, which will be shown on PhanaVision at every home game at Citizens Bank Park leading up to Phans Feeding Families Day on June 29.

Supporters of this year’s campaign can get involved in the following ways:

• Donate to the Phans Feeding Families Food Drive.
• Supporters can virtually donate Philabundance’s most-needed food items such as rice, peanut butter or vegetables by visiting the donation page or by texting STRIKEOUTHUNGER to 41444.
• Supporters can choose to donate from as little as one dollar to $1,000 or more.
• Food donations will also be accepted in person at Phans Feeding Families Day on June 24 at Citizens Bank Park.
• Bid on nearly two dozen new team-issued and game-used autographed memorabilia during the Phillies Charities, Inc. Auction benefitting Philabundance, which will be online at phillies.com/auctions from June 3 – July 1.
• Auction items include baseballs, jerseys, caps, and more signed by manager Rob Thomson and players such as Aaron Nola, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Zack Wheeler. The auction also features items autographed by 2008 World Series champions Shane Victorino and Chase Utley. Fans are also invited to stop by the First Base Gate during Phans Feeding Families Day on June 29 to see the items in person.
• Take part in the Phans Feeding Families Game & Food Drive, Saturday, June 29, when the Phillies take on the Miami Marlins at 4:05 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
• Purchase a Phans Feeding Families Theme Night Ticket.
• Bring a donation of non-perishable food at the entrance gates. Recommended items include plastic jars of peanut butter and jelly, canned tuna and pasta.
• Stop by the Third Base Plaza to digitally purchase food for the cause, courtesy of The GIANT Company, who will also be on site with fan giveaways. Those who donate will also have the chance to meet 1993 National League Champion Mickey Morandini.
• Additionally, fans can participate in the Phillies Charities 50/50 Drawing on June 29, in which a portion of the proceeds will benefit Philabundance.
• Spread awareness by using #PhansFeed on your personal social media networks and following Philabundance on social media.
• Facebook
• Instagram
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• LinkedIn

Philabundance has long played a critical role in Greater Philadelphia as it works to end hunger for good. The organization serves over 135,000 people each week – a number that continues to grow as families continue to deal with the rising costs of basic necessities, such as housing and food. Since Phans Feeding Families began in 2011, the campaign has raised more than $600,000 for hunger relief efforts. Thanks to fan support of funds and food, more than one million meals have been provided to families in need.

“Thank you, Citizens and the Philadelphia Phillies, for your generous donation and continued partnership in the fight against hunger,” said Loree D. Jones Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Philabundance. “Supporting the Philabundance Community Kitchen is more than just about donating to a program; it’s about investing in lives and nurturing potential. Every dollar contributed helps us equip individuals with culinary skills and provides them the opportunity to transform their futures while also fighting food insecurity in our community.”

“Food insecurity continues to be a crisis in the Greater Philadelphia area,” said Jackie Cuddeback, Phillies Senior Vice President, Partnership Sales & Corporate Marketing. “It is our mission to strike out hunger so that no family will go to bed hungry. We look forward to hosting Phans Feeding Families Day on June 29 at Citizens Bank Park, as we team up with Citizens, Aaron Nola, our sponsors and fans to support Philabundance and their vital hunger relief efforts.”

In addition to the Phillies and Citizens, Aramark, Campbells, The GIANT Company, Goya Foods, Hatfield Quality Meats, KPMG, SEPTA and Tri-State Toyota Dealers are supporting Philabundance as partners in the 2024 campaign.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $220.4 billion in assets as of March 31, 2024. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,300 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

About Philabundance

Celebrating 40 years of fighting hunger in 2024, Philabundance is the largest food bank in the Greater Philadelphia region serving over 135,000 people each week. In 2023, Philabundance distributed over 50 million pounds of food and 385,000 ready-to-eat meals through a network of 370 community partners across a 9-county service area in Philadelphia and South Jersey. In addition to food distribution, Philabundance works to reduce food waste through our retail rescue program, increase access to nutritious meals through our Good Food Policy, and tackle the root causes of hunger through our workforce development program at the Philabundance Community Kitchen. For more information about Philabundance and its impact, visit philabundance.org. Follow on social media: Twitter and Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

About The Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one name, one city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. Since 2004, the team's home has been Citizens Bank Park in the South Philadelphia section of the city. For more information, visit phillies.com.