MILWAUKEE – Six Milwaukee Brewers players and Bob Uecker are contributing to the $1 million fund established by the Brewers to provide financial assistance to Miller Park game day workers who have lost wages due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Ryan Braun was the first to commit with a $100,000 pledge to the $1 million fund, and Uecker added another $50,000. Lorenzo Cain, Corey Knebel, Josh Lindblom, Brent Suter and Christian Yelich joined with additional pledges for a total of $300,000 contributed to the initial $1 million Brewers fund.
 
“Milwaukee is a second home to us, and the fans and staff at Miller Park are like family,” Braun said. “This pandemic has created difficult financial situations for many of them, and I know I speak for my teammates in saying that we want to do our part to help address the critical needs. We know this doesn’t solve the problem, but along with the contribution from the Brewers and the Attanasio family, we believe this fund can help support those who are most in need.”
 
“This is more than supporting those who work at Miller Park,” Uecker said. “In my 50 years with the team, I have become friends with many of these individuals, and some of them have been around the ballpark nearly as long as me. We’re all limited in what we can do to return to our normal lives, but we want to help people be as comfortable as possible until we can get back to starting up.”
 
Braun and Yelich are involved in multiple pandemic relief efforts both in Milwaukee and through California Strong. Locally, the two players are making a financial contribution to provide thousands of meals to health care providers working with four major hospital networks during the crisis, including Aurora Health Care. The program is led by 3rd St. Market Hall and contributions from American Family Insurance, Associated Bank, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company and Sargento.
 
California Strong encompasses a number of fundraising campaigns to ensure maximum exposure and participation in support of those in need both now, and for months and years to come. This includes outreach to address issues created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yelich and Braun co-founded California Strong with Mike Attanasio and two other professional athletes.