The Texans are giving a "total of $500,000; $250,000 apiece to the Houston Food Bank and Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston Meals on Wheels." The donation is "on behalf of the McNair family," including Texans co-Founder and Senior Chair Janice McNair (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/21)....The Ravens and the Stephen & Renee Bisciotti Foundation donated a combined $1M to "support four local nonprofit organizations with relief efforts during the coronavirus pandemic." The Baltimore-based Fund for Educational Excellence, the United Way of Central Maryland, the Baltimore Community Foundation and the Maryland Food Bank "have each received $250,000" (BALTIMORE SUN, 3/21)....Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross has "pledged a half-million dollars toward South Florida coronavirus relief for the elderly and youth." Ross' funds are "earmarked for meal programs for Broward County Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools, relief efforts led by churches in Miami Gardens and to bolster programs from Feeding South Florida" (MIAMI HERALD, 3/21).
MATCHING EFFORTS: Jazz Owner Gail Miller's family has "pledged to 'more than match'" C Rudy Gobert's $200,000 donation to "cover shortfalls experienced by more than 1,000 part-time Jazz and Vivint Smart Home Arena employees." The "exact donation amount is unknown at this time." The employees will be "polled this week to see if they want further employment furnished by the Utah Department of Workforce Services." Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment would "seek to provide these employees with jobs that are in higher demand due." Those companies would "pay LHMSE for their employees’ time, while the employees would continue to receive paychecks from LHMSE." Once Jazz events resume, the workers "would go back to working with their usual jobs" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 3/22).
TEAMS OFFER SUPPORT: The Bears are "donating $250,000 to the Chicago Community COVID-19 Response Fund" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/22)....The Seahawks and CenturyLink Field will "pay more than $700,000 to part-time employees impacted by events that will be canceled" (SEATTLE TIMES, 3/21)....The NFL Giants are "funding a childcare program that will be free for emergency responders" for 10 weeks at the Meadowlands YMCA (N.Y. POST, 3/22)....The Pirates and Pirates Charities announced a $50,000 donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The donation "equates to 250,000 meals that will be distributed to help more than 110,000 people served every month" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 3/23).
PLAYERS HELPING: Browns DT Larry Ogunjobi posted on Twitter that he "intends to donate 100,000 meals to the food bank" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 3/21)....Redskins RB Adrian Peterson and his wife, Ashley, "celebrated his birthday by donating $100,000 to help senior citizens and students in need during the coronavirus pandemic" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/22)....Magic F Jonathan Isaac is "teaming up with a church to provide hot breakfasts and lunches to school kids age 18 and under on weekdays." Isaac also will be "helping families obtain boxes of non-perishable food items once a week" (AP, 3/22).
