Red Sox to hold baseball equipment collection at Fenway Park

BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox, in partnership with the Baseball Tomorrow Fund, a joint initiative between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, will host an equipment collection drive during the upcoming Red Sox-Braves series at Fenway Park.  

From June 22-24, fans are invited to drop off new and used baseball and softball equipment outside all Fenway Park gates. The equipment will benefit the Kids Gear for Baseball organization, a Massachusetts-based non-profit organization that distributes equipment to children in need.

Kids Gear for Baseball has provided the opportunity for thousands of kids to play ball who would otherwise not have the opportunity. Equipment has been donated to more than 30 youth organizations, shelters, and missions over the last several years. Recipients of equipment include organizations such as Boys and Girls Clubs of Lower Merrimack Valley, Worcester and Lawrence, Special Olympics, and Cross Roads for Kids.

Every fan who donates equipment will have the opportunity to win autographed memorabilia and other valuable prizes.

In conjunction with the equipment drive, the Baseball Tomorrow Fund will award a grant of $5,000 to Kids Gear for Baseball for the purchase of new equipment. In recognition of the grant, Meghan Chisholm, Senior Grant Coordinator, will present a ceremonial check to the Kids Gear for Baseball organization during a pre-game ceremony tonight, Thursday, June 21.

This marks the eighth season the Baseball Tomorrow Fund has teamed with Major League Baseball Clubs to hold an equipment collection. Last year, over 15,000 pieces of equipment and over $300,000 in monetary contributions were donated to youth baseball and softball organizations in Major League markets. To date, nearly 100,000 pieces of equipment and approximately $1,250,000 in cash donations have benefited organizations in need.

Kids Gear for Baseball was founded in 2002 and is now being managed by two Southborough friends: Trevor Ritchie and Russell McCarthy, both freshmen at St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, MA. The boys enlist student volunteers to collect used baseball and softball equipment from leagues, teams, individuals, and Red Sox fans attending games mentioned above.