PITTSBURGH -- Seeking to help local families affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the Pirates and Pirates Charities on Friday announced a $50,000 donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to support multiple food distribution events.

According to the Pirates, the Food Bank can provide five meals to those in need for every dollar it receives. In other words, the club’s donation will allow for the Food Bank to distribute 250,000 meals to help the more than 110,000 people it serves monthly throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.

“Much like our healthcare workers and first responders, the people of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank are the everyday heroes within our community. We are proud to partner with them to ensure that families and children have the food they need in this time of crisis,” Pirates president Travis Williams said in a statement. “We all need to rally in support of one another and do whatever we can to help. We will get through this together.”

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The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is a member of Feeding America. The nonprofit organization, which was founded in 1980, provides more than 35 million meals annually via a network of nearly 400 agencies throughout 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. Their mission is simple: feeding people in need and mobilizing the local community to eliminate hunger.

"Every time the Food Bank needs help, Bob Nutting and the Pirates organization always answer the call," Lisa Scales, president and CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, said in a statement. "Due to the dramatic increase in need, the Food Bank is transforming our operations to ensure we can serve the community and keep people safe during the crisis. Financial donations are most critical at this time."

This is the Pirates’ second notable donation to a food distribution center, as they previously supplied 40 cases of food from the concession stands at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Fla., to help Our Daily Bread, a center across the street from the Bucs’ Spring Training ballpark.

That donation, led by the Pirates’ Florida operations staff and team chef Tony Palatucci, included bread, chicken, pork, fish and vegetables from the clubhouse dining room along with cheese, lunch meat and more from the concessions, to feed the 250-plus people -- many of whom are raising children -- fed each day by Our Daily Bread.

“With the abrupt halt to operations, we realized we were in the position to make an impact in the community with our excess supplies,” Jeff Podobnik, Pirates vice president of Florida and Dominican Republic operations, said in a statement. “We identified a need at Our Daily Bread so we could make a direct impact on a neighbor and assist with the wonderful things they do to serve the underprivileged.”

The Pirates’ donations are a part of baseball’s ongoing efforts to feed those in need during this national emergency. On Monday, Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced a combined $1 million donation to Feeding America and Meals on Wheels America.