The Red Sox Foundation created the Red Sox Foundation Emergency Hardship Fund to "help those who are experiencing food insecurity in New England and Southwest Florida" as a result of the pandemic. The Fund is being "seeded with $300,000 by the Foundation, with additional support from Red Sox players and coaches, ownership, and other organizations." The Foundation has already made several "donations to COVID-19 charitable funds that have been established in the city and the state." Last month, it "made a $250,000 donation to the City of Boston’s Resiliency Fund to help purchase Chrome books to aid Boston Public Schools students with distance learning, and more recently, a $100,000 donation to the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund" established by Gov. Charlie Baker and his wife, Lauren, to "help support essential front-line workers and other vulnerable communities" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/16).
NFL GIFTS GO LOCAL: Buccaneers Owners the Glazer family donated $100,000 to the Fighting Chance Fund, an "emergency grant created to serve St. Petersburg’s locally owned and independently operated small businesses that have been negatively impacted by COVID-19 orders" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/16)....Ravens DE Derek Wolfe and his wife, Abigail, are "donating $10,000 to support YMCA of Metro Denver’s emergency COVID-19 relief efforts." Wolfe played eight seasons with the Broncos (DENVER POST, 4/16).
NBA PLAYERS MAKE AN IMPACT: Rockets G James Harden and Kroger will "provide a weeks’ worth of groceries to 600 families each week for the next eight weeks" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/16)....Magic coach Steve Clifford has "made a donation to the Heart of Florida United Way, offering financial help for those most affected by the coronavirus" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 4/16)....Kings G Cory Joseph is "partnering with fellow Canadian and Kings assistant coach Roy Rana, Frontier, the Sunnybrook Foundation and University Health Network" to provide face shields to hospital workers in Toronto via Operation Canadian Shield (SACRAMENTO BEE 4/16)....Hornets C Bismack Biyombo's Foundation delivered over 10,000 face masks and 780 hazmat suits to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The four containers of medical supplies are worth approximately $1M (THE DAILY)....Suns G Devin Booker will "split the $100,000 grand prize for winning last week's NBA 2K Players Tournament between #FirstRespondersFirst and Arizona Food Bank Network" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 4/16).
MORE DONATIONS: NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and primary sponsor FedEx will "donate more than 60,000 meals to the Chesterfield Food Bank" in Virginia (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 4/16)....Georgia Tech football coach Geoff Collins purchased Chick-fil-A and Krispy Kreme donuts for Atlanta firefighters, "which they received yesterday morning." Collins also "purchased lunch from Chick-fil-A for the Georgia Tech police department" last Friday and "coffee and donuts for emergency-room personnel at Emory" last Saturday (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/16)....Former MLBer Curtis Granderson is "donating 42,000 meals to food banks" in honor of Jackie Robinson Day (MLB.com, 4/15)....Golden Knights F Ryan Reaves' brewing company will "donate profits to various groups fighting the coronavirus pandemic in Las Vegas." He said that "all profits from 7Five Brewing Co. merchandise sold online for the next four weeks will go to charity, and the company also will match the donation" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 4/16)....Golfing couple Danielle Kang and Maverick McNealy have started a #ChallengeEachOther social media campaign, which aims to benefit Three Square, a Las Vegas-area food bank (THE DAILY).
