The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation partnered with national nonprofit Baby2Baby to welcome 600 children to Dodger Stadium for their annual holiday distribution event, which provides warm clothing, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, shampoo, winter coats, toys, Dodgers gear and more to high-need students from schools across Los Angeles.
The event had the newly re-signed Joe Kelly and Brianna Betts, the wife of Dodger outfielder Mookie Betts, in attendance to donate their time and meet with the kids.
“The holidays are always a challenging time of year for the families we serve, and their circumstances have become even more dire with rising costs and inflation,” Baby2Baby Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof shared. “For parents who are living paycheck to paycheck and already making impossible choices like whether to buy food or diapers for their babies, providing anything extra for their children at the holidays is not an option.
“We are so thrilled to be back at Dodger Stadium for this extraordinary event and give students the essentials they need to thrive along with the magical holiday experience they deserve.”
FRAME and Nordstrom presented the event for the second consecutive year. Children in attendance were treated to an unforgettable holiday experience that included a toy shop, visit from Santa, snow for sledding, plus a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go on the field at Dodger Stadium and run the bases, which was made possible by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the LADF.
“We are so proud to be here at Dodger Stadium today, partnering with Baby2Baby and our Dodger’s community relations partners,” LADF CEO Nichol Whiteman said. “This year we are welcoming 600 students from Para Los Ninos and KIPP Charter Schools for a day full of fun, giving them the essentials to make their holidays better. We’re so glad that we get to do this every year with such great partners, at what is our version of Disneyland, Dodger Stadium.”
Baby2Baby has distributed over 375 million essential items including diapers, formula and clothing to families in need over the last 12 years. The nonprofit’s ambassadors and supporters include Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Kelly Rowland, Ali Wong, Lori Harvey, Ellen Pompeo, Molly Sims, Rachel Zoe, Emma Grede, Chriselle Lim, Monique Lhuillier, along with countless others who have volunteered their time to help distribute these critical items and toys in an effort to deliver much-needed holiday cheer to children.
Baby2Baby is celebrating a momentous year of impact including serving one million children across all 50 states, piloting a program with The White House and Department of Health & Human Services, distributing 600,000 essential items following the devastating wildfires in Maui, raising $12 million for the work at their annual gala in November, and earning the accolade as one of TIME Magazine 2023’s most influential companies
“Over the past two years, Baby2Baby has proven to be an exceptional partner for the Los Angeles Dodgers,” McCowan said.
Joe Kelly shows off new jersey number at Dodgers’ holiday event
With the signing of Shohei Ohtani, who wears No. 17, Kelly was required to find a new number this offseason. The veteran reliever ended up picking No. 99 because he felt it matched his vibe matching “Wild Thing” from the movie Major League.
Kelly said Ohtani thanked him for giving up his number when they met the first time and joked he has a list of items the Dodgers new superstar can buy him for giving up the number.
Make sure to follow Dodger Blue on Instagram! It’s the best way to see exclusive coverage from games and events, get your questions answered, and more!
