Action Team Captains, Major Leaguers spread cheer during holiday season

Jose Bautista, Gio Gonzalez and Jim Johnson provided the support as Action Teams across the country spread holiday-season cheer.

This past weekend, Bautista joined the Action Team volunteers from George Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Fla., at the Metropolitan Ministries of North Tampa, where they were sorting donated food and presents for the underserved in the community.

A week earlier, Gonzalez was a surprise guest In Arlington, Va., where captains from Bishop Ireton in the District of Columbia held a holiday-themed dinner and tree-trimming party for Volunteers of America's homeless and residential program.

Johnson joined Action Team Captains from Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, Fla., who hosted a Christmas party for the town's Habitat for Humanity on Dec. 12. The volunteers decorated and performed music for the attendees.

Captains from iSchool High in Montgomery in Conroe, Texas, held a service project on Dec. 4 called "Cookies for Courage" in which they organized a school-wide effort to make and deliver cookies and holiday cards for all of the firemen serving their community. The Captains baked in the afternoon after school and delivered the goodies to their local firehouse the next morning.

The Captains from Mundy's Mill High School in Jonesboro, Ga., assisted with wrapping gifts for their church's Toys for Tots program on Dec. 12.

"We had a great time wrapping gifts for those in need. It was nice to see our youth with a heart to serve," said Tanzania Daniel, Mundy's Mill Action Team Volunteer Coordinator.