O's have full calendar of charitable acts this holiday season

BALTIMORE -- Throughout the year, the Orioles are heavily involved in community efforts around Baltimore and beyond. Their Orange and Black Gives Back outreach program gets players and staff face to face with people who need help.

“I feel like it’s the most important thing we do, is speak to our fans through baseball and through community,” said Jennifer Grondahl, the team’s senior vice president of communications.

With the holiday season in full swing, the O’s community efforts are ramping up even more.

Here’s a look at the initiatives being held by the Orioles heading into the winter.

All Faiths Food Bank turkey distribution

Last Wednesday, the O’s again partnered with All Faiths Food Bank for the sixth annual “ThankFULL” turkey distribution at the team’s Spring Training complex at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla.

More than 2,000 turkeys were handed out by a group that featured Orioles staff, community volunteers and alumni, including O’s Hall of Famer/MASN broadcaster Brian Roberts and former outfielder Phil Bradley. All Faiths Food Bank is the sole food bank and largest hunger relief organization in Sarasota and DeSoto Counties.

“We saw cars just lined and lined around the block multiple times for hours,” Grondahl said. “So it’s clear to us that the need is there.”

Ed Reed Foundation Thanksgiving event

The Orioles hosted an internal food drive to collect non-perishable food items that were then donated to the Ed Reed Foundation for its 16th annual Thanksgiving Blessings initiative this past Friday. O’s volunteers helped pack full Thanksgiving meals to be distributed to more than 5,000 families through Booker T. Washington Middle School and The SEED School of Maryland.

The meals featured a 12-pound turkey, a full roasted chicken and sides to feed up to 15 people.

Former Baltimore Ravens safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed launched his foundation in 2002.

Giving Tuesday at The Baltimore Station

On Dec. 2, the Orioles will be partnering with Brick & Whistle to provide home-cooked meals at The Baltimore Station, a therapeutic residential treatment program helping veterans overcome obstacles and regain self-sufficiency. The food will be prepared by Dan Doyle, who serves as the executive chef at Camden Yards.

Employees from both the O’s and Brick & Whistle will first participate in a service project and other activities before serving lunch and eating with residents at The Baltimore Station. The Orioles will also host an online auction from Dec. 2-7 with all proceeds benefiting The Baltimore Station and its residents.

Like the Ed Reed Foundation Thanksgiving event, the Giving Tuesday at The Baltimore Station initiative is new for the Orioles in 2025.

“I think we all recognized it was particularly important to step it up, because in the community, the need is there,” Grondahl said. “It’s really good for us, because the common thread for every event that we’re doing is that our employees are involved, and so, it’s our opportunity to give back. So I think that’s what’s most exciting to us -- that we can all work side by side together.”

Adopt-A-Family

The Orioles are working with TurnAround, Inc. (a Baltimore non-profit organization) to fulfill the holiday gift wish lists of local families. Participating O’s families were matched with families and given gift wish lists, as they’ll then gather together at the Camden Yards warehouse in mid-December to wrap the items.

The gifts will be given to the families on Dec. 11.

TurnAround, Inc. provides counseling and support services to those impacted by sexual violence, intimate partner violence and human trafficking in the Baltimore area.