ATLANTA -- Wanting to show appreciation to those who sacrifice their time to protect Atlanta on holidays, the Braves provided a turkey dinner to 100 police officers who were scheduled to work on Thanksgiving Day.
Braves manager Brian Snitker and his wife, Ronnie, joined Mike Foltynewicz and his wife, Brittany, to host the event, held at SunTrust Park on Nov. 15. All guests were treated to a traditional Thanksgiving meal and had the opportunity to interact with members of the Braves' organization in attendance.
"Ronnie and I love this night every year," Snitker said. "We're just blessed to be able to come and help those guys. Everybody here recognizes all they do for us."
Along with Snitker and Foltynewicz, some of the Braves alumni at this event included Bruce Benedict, Nick Green, Brian Jordan, Charlie Leibrandt, Greg McMichael and Terry Pendleton. Hall of Fame executive John Schuerholz welcomed the police officers and family members in attendance.
The Braves greeted their guests with a cocktail hour in Monument Grove and provided tours around SunTrust Park. During a Q&A session, Snitker, Foltynewicz and recently acquired reliever Darren O'Day discussed this past season's success and the excitement that surrounds the 2019 season.
"It's been awesome," Devin Ploof of the Marietta Police Department said. "You get to take a tour of the stadium and take a picture with the 2018 [National League East] pennant that the guys won. You get to meet some of the old players and not to mention the great food and service that you receive."
Foltynewicz and Snitker were also among the members of the Braves' organization who welcomed military members and their family members to a similar event that was held at SunTrust Park before last year's Thanksgiving holiday.
"This is the least we can do to give back to the men and women who keep us safe," Foltynewicz said. "It's an honor to be able to serve them for one night. I wish we could do a couple more."