Phillies fiesta time! Goya Foods hosts latino family celebration & food drive

Goya Foods, the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the United States, will once again team up with the Phillies to host Goya Latino Family Celebration & Food Drive on Tuesday, September 25, at Citizens Bank Park in conjunction with that evening’s 7:05 p.m. game against the Washington Nationals.

The celebration pays tribute to Hispanic Heritage Month and includes on-field performances from national and local artists, as well as a food drive at ballpark entrance gates to help families in need. As with all Phillies Theme Nights, there is also a special ticket discount in honor of the evening available at www.phillies.com/themenights.

Goya Latino Family Celebration Highlights:

• Plenty of Latin music at the entrance gates, including local artists Jimmy Jorge & the Latin Express performing a range of cha-cha, jazz and salsa music. Also entertaining guests will be DJ Oski, DJ Polo and DJ IamGQ.
• A pregame celebration featuring an on-field presentation of 21 flags each representing a Latin country. Plus, plenty of music by Franco Olivo and Alto Voltaje, an alternativa Bachata & Merengue group that fuses traditional Dominican music with rock and electronic music. The evening also includes performances by the Fuego Dance Company, the oldest and largest salsa dance company in Philadelphia. The evening’s National Anthem will also be sung by vocalist Jacquie Lee, first place winner in New Jersey’s 2012 Freehold Idol competition (10-15 age group).
• A special welcome by Univision’s Ilia Garcia, recently named as one of Delaware Valley’s most influential Latinos and recipient of the “Hispanic Choice Award” for favorite television personality. The evening’s starting lineup will also be introduced in Spanish by Phillies’ Spanish broadcaster Ricky Ricardo.
• A food collection to benefit Philabundance. Fans are asked to donate Goya food products to help families in need within the Latino community. Goya Foods has once again pledged to donate a minimum of 5,000 pounds of food to match the collected food products. To date, more than 30,000 pounds of food have been collected at past Goya’s Latin Family Celebrations.
• Presentation of the Phillies Goya Family Service Award to the Council of Spanish Speaking Organizations (CONCILIO), who is celebrating their 40^th anniversary this year.  CONCILIO is the oldest Latino organization in Philadelphia and has a well-established reputation as a leader for Latino family services. Accepting on CONCILIO’s behalf will be Joanna Otero-Cruz, Executive Director, and Antonio Valdés, Board President and CEO of Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.
• Special Welcome to Frankford High School’s Baseball Team, the 2012 Philadelphia public league baseball championship team who is the first team in the city’s history to be comprised of all Latino players and led by a Latino coach.  The team also holds the distinction of being the first Latino high school in the history of Philadelphia to win a championship.

            For more information on the Goya Latino Family Celebration and other Phillies theme nights, please visit www.phillies.com/themenights.

About GOYA: Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America’s largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures packages and distributes over 2,200 high-quality food products from the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world; their combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings and convenient preparation make them ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com