MIAMI -- A year ago, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough was still finding his bearings with a new organization.
McCullough, who had recently been hired, brought his family to the Marlins’ Thanksgiving charity event to ingratiate himself within the Little Havana community.
This past Friday, a relaxed McCullough felt at home while participating in the 16th annual Home Plate Meals Thanksgiving Distribution. He, principal owner Bruce Sherman, president of baseball operations Peter Bendix, president of business Caroline O’Connor and players Xavier Edwards and Anthony Bender handed out 25-pound meal boxes to 1,000 local families on the West Plaza at loanDepot park.
“Thankful again to bring my family back here,” said McCullough, who was joined by his wife Jill and their three children. “I'm incredibly blessed for the position I have, the job that I have, all that it brings. We're trying to raise our kids to be very grateful for what they have, and then also understanding that the ability to give back, the ability to put a smile on people's faces, to be appreciative of what you have -- [that] is a lesson we're trying to hopefully instill in them as they get older.”
The Marlins once again teamed up with Love, Tito’s to provide a box of holiday staples -- from a 12-pound turkey to cranberry sauce to potatoes -- with the support of Feeding South Florida and partners Sedano’s, Kellanova, Goya Foods, P.A.N. and Pepsi.
And the altruism didn’t end Friday. On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff Conine and numerous staffers of the front office planned to join members of the Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police to serve Thanksgiving lunch to active-duty troops and veterans at loanDepot park for the 10th annual Veterans Thanksgiving lunch.
“ ... It's something I think that I was really proud of in my time with the Rays, and I'm proud of here, which is that the Marlins give back to the community, and they care about the community,” said Bendix, whose wife Lauren joined him in volunteering at the distribution. “And I think that says a lot about Bruce. It says a lot about the culture of the Marlins throughout the whole organization. And to see everybody here, [plus] it's just a fun event, and to be able to give back to the community is really special.”
Before handing out the Thanksgiving food boxes, the Miami Marlins Foundation presented a check for $36,672.37 to Feeding South Florida. Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Chairman Anthony Rodriguez and Miami-Dade Commissioner Vicki L. Lopez made remarks after Sherman thanked the entire organization for volunteering.
Sherman also singled out Bendix for putting the Marlins in a position to win on a consistent basis, McCullough for being his pick for National League Manager of the Year (he finished fifth) and Edwards for being a star in the making.
Edwards, who was named a Gold Glove finalist among NL second basemen, was looking forward to eating mac and cheese, collard greens and ham with his extended family from New York at his parents’ new home. Afterwards, Edwards would head down to Miami to spend time with his fiancée Emily’s family.
“Thankful for the staff, my teammates,” said Edwards, who was joined by Emily in volunteering Friday. “This organization has been great. Since I came here in 2023, it's been great ever since. Thankful to be here and looking forward to being here for longer.”
Bender’s wife, Keisha, and their son, Louis, took in their first Thanksgiving distribution. The young family planned on sharing the holiday with former teammates who also recently became first-time dads.
There was a guarantee of sweet potato casserole and stuffing. Plus, the expectation that Bender would help out in the kitchen.
“My grandma has a secret applesauce recipe that I make every year, so I'll be doing applesauce, and then we're getting catered the rest of the food,” Bender said.
Even though the holidays are here, Bender and Edwards are already looking ahead to 2026.
Edwards, who has been working out four times a week, has mixed in tennis and pickleball for cardio. Though he began throwing last week, he hasn’t touched a bat since the end of the season.
Bender, who was sidelined from mid-August through the remainder of the season with a right tibial stress reaction, is feeling good. He played catch with southpaw Josh Simpson before heading to the Thanksgiving event.
“I personally had a lot of growing this season,” Bender said. “A lot more familiar with all the hitters and stuff like that, more familiar with how my pitches move, how my body works and stuff like that. So learned a lot about myself this year, and definitely ready to build off this year and continue what I was doing last year.”