Pirates Charities pledge to support Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank distribution program for the entire 2019-2020 school year
Pirates Charities today announced a partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to fund one of the group’s community food distribution programs for the entire 2019-2020 school year. The Pirates have committed to fund the South Side Produce to People distribution program for nine months, or the entire 2019-2020 school year, with a $30,000 donation.
The program serves over 1,100 individuals, including more than 220 children, with the more than 14,671 pounds of produce distributed each month.
The partnership is in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s “Home Plate Project,” a league-wide initiative by all 30 MLB clubs and more than four dozen Major League players to support childhood hunger prevention and battle food insecurity. The initiative, “Home Plate Project,” is in partnership with award-winning country music star Garth Brooks’ Teammates For Kids Foundation (TFK) and Big League Impact, which was founded by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and is supported by Minnesota Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson.
The “Home Plate Project” includes an overall $900,000 commitment, including $300,000 from MLB players, to help individual club charities support local groups dedicated to fighting childhood hunger. Led by their player ambassadors in August, clubs will fund efforts with local food organizations, or local affiliates of national organizations, to distribute food and non-perishables to children in need throughout the United States and in Canada.
Pirates player ambassadors are Josh Bell and Trevor Williams, who will be on hand today, Saturday, Aug. 24, as the Pirates and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank launch their program partnership with the produce distribution event at the UPMC Mercy Outpatient Care Center.
More than 74 percent of the people served at the food bank purchase inexpensive, unhealthy foods because they cannot afford healthier options, such as produce. To meet this need, the food bank holds Produce to People distributions. Each month 8,000 households receive 30-50 pounds of produce at 18 distributions throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
Media requesting additional information can contact Terry Rodgers, Pirates Director of Communications, at Terry.Rodgers@pirates.com.