Like many other organizations this year, the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) was forced to adjust its planning due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They nonetheless have continued to give back to the local community, with efforts carrying through the holiday season.
The LADF has worked with partners, corporate sponsors, volunteers and nonprofits to provide 478,000 meals and more than $2.2 million worth of food, water, hygiene necessities, educational items and Dodgers products to those in need.
“We are saddened by the ongoing pandemic and its continued devastation of our communities,” Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation CEO Nichol Whiteman said in a statement. “We are committed to ongoing relief efforts during the holidays and for as long as it takes.”
Earlier this month, the LADF partnered with Mookie Betts to give away pairs of the coveted Air Jordan 11 Jubilee to Dodgers RBI players and their coaches from Belvedere Park, Darby Park, Rogers Park and Jesse Owens Park.
For the final day of “Dodger Day Grab & Go” distribution, LADF is partnering with the City of Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine to support 21 additional Dodgers RBI locations.
Food, toys, sports equipment, hygiene supplies and educational resources are being distributed to Bixby Park, Chavez Park, Cherry Park, College Estates, Coolidge Park, Drake Park, El Dorado Park West, Houghton Park, MacArthur Park and Martin Luther King Jr. Park, among several other locations.
The LADF previously partnered with the L.A. Regional Food Bank to provide 500 food boxes of pantry staples for Houghton Park in Long Beach. And with support from the Dodgers and Levy, 1,000 pounds of food was provided to the Union Rescue Mission for homeless individuals on Skid Row.
More recently, the LADF hosted 400 families from the Dodgers RBI program and children in the foster care system so they could experience the Dodgers Holiday Festival at Dodger Stadium free of charge. The drive-thru exhibit has been extended through January 3, 2021, and includes a donation component of toys, socks, and new or gently-used baseball and softball equipment.
LADF recognized by ESPN
In June, the Los Angeles Dodgers were named recipient of the 2020 ESPN Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year Award in recognition of work completed through the LADF. The team’s official charity additionally won Beyond Sport’s 2020 Sport for Reduced Racial Inequalities Collective Impact Award.
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