MiLB Teams are hard at work supporting their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic by providing donations, services, education, entertainment and more. See more details below on how each team is doing their part.
The Akron RubberDucks have introduced QuAkron Cares. Fans can make a $10 purchase, with $5 going towards the Akron-Summit County COVID-19 emergency support fund. To thank them for their contribution, fans will receive two 2020 undated tickets to a future RubberDucks game. The RubberDucks have also donated over 5,000 gloves to a local hospital and are donating tickets to schools as incentives for kids to complete their schoolwork.
The Isotopes staff has volunteered at Roadrunner Food Bank and written letters to seniors at a local senior facility. The Isotopes have also prepared an activity book for kids to use while learning and completing school assignments at home.
The Altoona Curve, with their partner, MARTIN’s Grocery Store, have updated their “MARTIN’s Hero of the Game” to the “MARTIN’s Hero of the Week.” Fans can nominate essential business employees with the winner receiving a $25 MARTIN’s gift card, four tickets to a future Curve game and recognition on the team’s social media platforms. The Curve have also run matching fundraisers in merchandise to buy lunches for essential businesses.
The Asheville Tourists are working with a local blood bank to encourage fans to donate blood, while keeping their fans informed through newsletters and social media.
The Augusta GreenJackets are providing daily activities to kids club members and are keeping their community informed through their social media platforms.
The Biloxi Shuckers and their food service team, Spectra, donated food to a local senior living facility. They have been releasing a home education program featuring different areas of study each week, and also expanded their reading program to include all students at home. In addition, they have donated over 130 ponchos to the ICU unit at a local hospital.
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are providing fans with activities on social media, including coloring pages and word searches. The Rumble Ponies are also thanking their first responders for their service and local partners that remain open for their community.
The Birmingham Barons are helping their community through social media by raising awareness about local organizations, supporting their local city efforts and providing entertainment to fans.
The Boise Hawks partnered with a behavioral hospital to create a mental health wellness package for the four main hospitals in the Boise area. The Hawks donated 250 tickets for health care workers to use during the 2020 or 2021 seasons. In addition, the Hawks have put together an educational packet for grades K-8.
The Bowling Green Hot Rods have added lessons and activities to their team webpage for students who are now completing school from home. The Hot Rods have also connected their partners with the medical community for immediate supply distribution.
The Bradenton Marauders donated leftover food from Spring Training to Our Daily Bread, a local nonprofit in Manatee County. They also donated 400 pizzas from local businesses to health care workers at Blake Medical Center and Manatee Memorial. In partnership with the Manatee Education Foundation, the Marauders created videos of players reading books in Spanish for kids to use.
The Brooklyn Cyclones are offering their fans virtual bingo, mascot coloring pages, #CycloneCinema movie reviews, trivia nights and their newest venture, “Slices,” a daily show that highlights positive things happening in their community, inspired by John Krasinski’s Some Good News.
The Carolina Mudcats are providing a multitude of activities for kids, including word searches, activity pages and instructional videos from Mudcats players. The Mudcats have also created a partner resources page for their local partners to share their ongoing efforts in the community.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels staff is volunteering at school food drives and using their stadium parking lot as a mobile food pantry pickup location. The Kernels have also sent food to emergency room staff at their local hospital.
The Charleston RiverDogs are offering Community Stimulus Packages, including a community bond and an Easter package. A portion of each package includes a donation to the Medical University of South Carolina’s COVID-19 Relief Fund. The RiverDogs are also participating in a drive-thru lunch program that will deliver 100 free meals each week to COVID-19 responders.
The Charlotte Knights, along with their charitable arm Charlotte Knights Charities, have launched the Knights Care 4 CLT campaign, an effort to assist those affected by COVID-19. Focused around four main pillars, Volunteerism, Monetary Contribution, Supporting our Partners and Employee Relief, the fund aims to relieve some of the financial burden this pandemic has brought to the Charlotte community. In conjunction with this campaign, the Charlotte Knights will be selling a specialty T-shirt, with net proceeds benefiting those most in need.
In addition to fundraising, the Knights’ front office staff has committed to a goal of volunteering 500 community service hours through nonprofit organizations, blood drive contributions and an educational outreach program, all in support of the Knights Care 4 CLT efforts.
The Clearwater Threshers are urging fans to continue to support their local partners and food establishments.
The Danville Braves are recognizing fans in their community in essential positions through social media contests. Featured fans receive tickets to a future Braves game.
The Tortugas Care Charity Foundation is making a weekly series of investments to support people on the front lines of the pandemic, including supporting their partners by purchasing pizza for health care workers.
The Down East Wood Ducks are supporting their local restaurants and businesses by making baseball cards to share on their social platforms. These cards feature information about hours of operation, drive-thru and delivery options for restaurants and online order and delivery options for stores.
The Durham Bulls began a T-shirt fundraiser, urging fans to “wash your horns,” with proceeds benefitting United Way of the Triangle’s COVID-19 efforts. Additionally, the Bulls announced that Wool E.'s Reading Club, in partnership with Amica Insurance, will be virtually available to all K-12 students throughout the Triangle. The Durham Bulls have also been working with Duke University Hospital's Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Family Support Program to gather encouraging content for immunocompromised patients and their families that are under restrictions.
The El Paso Chihuahuas are joining the MountainStar Sports Group Foundation, Hunt Family & Foster Family Foundations and the El Paso Locomotive FC to provide El Pasoans Fighting Hunger with a $1 million matching fund for families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Erie SeaWolves are sharing activities with their younger fan base, including coloring pages and a design-a-jersey contest.
The Eugene Emeralds are promoting and delivering their homemade mask kits for volunteers to sew for local groups that are in need. The Emeralds are also having a PPE Collection Drive for two local hospitals and have moved their reading program online, opening it to all local students.
The Everett AquaSox are donating 25% of their merchandise sales to local food banks and developed a reading program for students at home.
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers purchased 500 meals for the Fayetteville’s Cape Fear Valley Health employees.
The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels are donating food to multiple local organizations, including Harry Chapin Food Bank, Community Cooperative, the Salvation Army and South Fort Myers Food Pantry.
The Fort Wayne TinCaps are using their social media platforms to inform fans of local nonprofit services available to them. They are also posting educational content for students who are learning at home.
The Fresno Grizzlies have donated all sanitizer, masks and gloves from their stadium to a local hospital. The Grizzlies have uploaded their literacy magazine and other kids activities to their website, and are using their van to deliver books to local food distribution sites to encourage literacy. They have volunteered at a local homeless shelter, will be cooking meals in-house for over 2,000 people and are cohosting drive-thru food distribution events on-site with a local rescue mission.
The Grand Junction Rockies are partnering with local restaurants and the local school district to provide free lunches and giveaway items for kids.
The Great Lakes Loons are providing their parking lot to the Emergency Food Pantry/Eastern Michigan Food Bank food distribution event for community members in need with a “stay in your car – we will load you up” offering.
The Greeneville Reds are supporting their local businesses by encouraging fans to send a photo of a local business receipt in exchange for free tickets or a prize.
The Gwinnett Stripers have made their parking lots available as a drive-thru collection site when COVID-19 tests become available. They have also donated all their food to a local food bank.
The Hagerstown Suns are offering young fans their annual reading program digitally.
The Hickory Crawdads are using social media to encourage social distancing, update the community on what restaurants are still open and provide activity books for kids at home.
The Hartford Yard Goats have been creating resources such as worksheet activities, coloring pages, and a school-style workbook for parents at home with their kids. They have allowed local agencies to use their Aetna Community Center as a meal donation pickup center. In addition, they are using their social media platforms and newsletters to support local restaurants offering takeout in their community.
The Hillsboro Hops have donated their remaining supply of approximately 2,000 team shop plastic bags to Meals on Wheels, so they are able to continue delivering meals to the community while following social distancing guidelines. The Hops are also creating and distributing activity sheets, both for fun and educational purposes, to help families keep their children entertained while they are at home.
The Hudson Valley Renegades created the #GadesGivingBack initiative. The team will periodically release special offers on their team store such as gift cards, tickets and merchandise. A portion of the proceeds from each special offer purchase will be donated to charity, with a different charity selected for each #GadesGivingBack offer.
The Indianapolis Indians donated $20,000 to Gleaners of Indiana, as the team held a merchandise sale and matched the money spent with a dollar-for-dollar donation from Indianapolis Indians Charities. Indianapolis Indians Charities is also supporting Shepherd Community Center with a $10,000 donation which helped them provide meals, activity pages and e-learning for the youth they serve across Indianapolis. Additionally, the Indians have introduced a Hero of the Week program, where people can nominate those that are going above and beyond to help others during this challenging time.
The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have launched the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp HERO program, where fans can donate $10 and receive two free Jumbo Shrimp tickets and be entered to win a 2021 trip to Miami Marlins’ Spring Training. Proceeds will benefit the First Coast Relief Fund as aid to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Johnson City Cardinals are engaging fans on social media by providing coloring book pages and word searches for kids and encouraging support of their local community.
The Jupiter Hammerheads have donated $1,500 worth of concessions to the Palm Beach County Food Bank.
The Lake County Captains are providing “find the differences,” trivia and other activities for kids. The Captains have donated unused gloves to their local hospital system. Additionally, the Captains are working with their local United Way to create daily story time featuring community members, staff, players and coaches.
The Lake Elsinore Storm ballpark is acting as a COVID-19 testing site, with the Storm providing meals to the testers, as well as offering low-cost and free meals to the community. The Storm is also hosting weekly blood drives at the ballpark’s restaurant. Thunder is also doing mascot parades in his vehicle, visiting area neighborhoods and waving to and entertaining onlookers from his car.
The Las Vegas Aviators packed food and paper goods for Helping Hands of Vegas Valley, an organization that serves seniors living at or below the poverty level. The Aviators reached out to local baseball players who trained at the ballpark in the offseason to ask for their help in honoring first responders through dedicated social media posts, in conjunction with Valley Health Systems, which operates six hospitals in Southern Nevada. In addition, the Aviators asked those players to promote the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority's #TogetherAtHome campaign, as well as Vitalant's (Formerly United Blood Services) urgent need for blood donations through social media posts.
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs created a webpage with health guidelines, information and resources for fans. The site includes ways to assist in their community and restaurants and businesses that are currently open for takeout and delivery. They are supporting their health networks by sharing tips and information to stay safe. The IronPigs also partnered with St. Luke’s University Health Network and Miller-Keystone Blood Center for a blood drive weekend.
The Lexington Legends are using their ballpark as a food distribution location for local organization “Nourish Lex”. The Legends have been in contact with local officials about the use of the ballpark and parking lots for various community needs. Additionally, they are sharing resources such as reading programs and kids activity sheets on social media and on their website.
The Louisville Bats, with their partner ImagineAR, have launched Buddy’s Curbside Pick-Up, to help local restaurant partners who have been affected by the pandemic. Fans who order curbside pickup from participating partners will have the chance to earn four free tickets to a game and win additional prizes by sharing a photo of their trip on social media, using the hashtag #CurbsideBuddy. When a fan arrives at the restaurant, they can use the ImagineAR app to unlock a digital Buddy Bat that greets them at the location. The Bats have also provided
Kids Activity Pages, previously only offered at the ballpark, on the Bats website, as well as Buddy’s Best Behavior Challenge. Buddy’s Challenge can be used to encourage healthy and helpful behavior while at home. Once completed, the challenge can be submitted online for a free ticket to Buddy Bat’s birthday party.
The Lowell Spinners have made donations to their local police and EMT members and are using their social media platforms to promote medical supply donations to local hospitals and ambulance companies. They have also provided lesson plans and activities for kids such as coloring sheets and word searches, and are promoting local food establishments.
The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are donating lunches to hospital emergency departments and offering a virtual Career Day and virtual job shadowing for graduating seniors. The teams is also offering a special ticket package that includes four undated tickets, four Scrappers hats, two large one-topping pizzas from Pizza Hut and a $10 donation to the Trumball County Rapid Relief Fund. In addition, the Scrappers have created a dedicated webpage highlighting partners and local businesses that are still open, as well as creating daily activities for kids and adults, including an activity book, educational curriculum and a reading club expansion.
The Mississippi Braves are providing incentives for home-schooled kids through an extension of their reading program, the Braves Bookworms. The team is also spotlighting partners in the health care and service industries that are offering their services to the community.
The Modesto Nuts, with their partner Save Mart Supermarkets, are offering temporary employment to all game day staff at their local Save Mart.
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are creating and sharing educational videos and materials to support those who are remote learning/teaching. The team has also been highlighting local restaurants and small businesses individuals can visit, and created a webpage specifically designed to house all of this information on their website.
The Ogden Raptors have donated ticket vouchers to locally owned restaurants and encouraging fans to support their community.
The Omaha Storm Chasers’ focus has been to reach out to fans who are struggling with the COVID-19 restrictions and brighten their day, including sharing word searches and coloring pages. The Storm Chasers are also working to promote and support their local partners and initiatives.
The Palm Beach Cardinals have made a food donation to the Palm Beach County Food Bank. The Cardinals have also made supply donations to a local hospital and are supporting their local partners through their social media platforms.
The Pawtucket Red Sox have pledged $10,000 to the United Way of Central Massachusetts and the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, in support of a COVID-19 immediate response fund. In Pawtucket public schools, they have assisted with the distribution of grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches while schools have been closed. The Paw Sox also donated 700 pounds of food from their ballpark, and donated rain ponchos to doctors and nurses.
The Sea Dogs have partnered with several community partners on a variety of initiatives, including a food drive with the Good Shepherd Food Bank and a “Distance Saves Lives Blood Drive” in partnership with the Red Cross and Maine Health. The Sea Dogs created a special “I Miss Slugger” T-shirt for sale, with proceeds to benefit the United Way of Greater Portland's COVID-19 Community Relief Fund. Additionally, the Sea Dogs are assisting teachers and parents with their homeschooling efforts by providing quizzes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The Pulaski Yankees sold a "Waiting for Baseball" T-shirt with two tickets to a future game included with purchase. Proceeds from the T-shirt sales will benefit the Pulaski Senior Center. The Yankees continue to use their social media platforms to encourage their community to support local food establishments and health care organizations.
The Reno Aces are sharing and amplifying community messages through their network. The team is also hosting the Northern Nevada Food Bank Harvest distribution in their parking lots twice in April, and sending food and personal messages of gratitude to local hospitals.
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are keeping their young fans engaged in exercise through videos of their mascot Nutzy doing activities kids can follow. They have also compiled an extensive education day curriculum packet centered around Virginia Standards of Learning for students in kindergarten through the fifth grade. Additionally, the Squirrels have a daily partner highlight to showcase their small business partners and what they continue to offer to the community.
The Rochester Red Wings have donated over 300,000 gloves to local hospitals while also providing educational activities for kids through Professor Spikes lessons. Through their social media platforms, the Red Wings have honored local health care professionals and first responders, and asked kids to write thank you letters to local health care workers.
The Rocky Mountain Vibes organized a food drive for local students in need, hosted a medical supply drive at their ballpark and are actively participating with local schools to continue their reading program. The Vibes are using their social platforms to share pertinent information regarding school closures, announcements, donation sites and local businesses.
The Round Rock Express have created a Family Meal Plan that consists of five meals for five people for $150 plus tax, with curbside delivery provided. In addition, Spike’s Reading Challenge encourages students to read from home, offering incentives like tickets and prizes for each level completed.
The Sacramento River Cats are sending groups to Yolo County Food Bank three times a week to pack boxes for distribution. The River Cats have partnered with local restaurants to fulfill food contracts for county health care employees and first responders. Additionally, they are hosting a blood drive at the ballpark in April and are creating curriculum to help parents and kids with home schooling.
The Salem Red Sox created an "I Miss Baseball" t-shirt. For $25, fans received the shirt and two complimentary tickets to a 2020 game, with 100% of the proceeds going to a local nonprofit of the fan’s choice. The Red Sox are also matching the ticket total, donating an equal amount to local hospitals.
The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have opened their stadium parking lot to Amazon to assist with their vehicle overflow and local operations. The Volcanoes are providing hand sanitizer to those in need and donating food to Simonka Place, an organization that provides support services, employment assistance, learning centers and transitional services for women and children in need.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have opened their ballpark to the American Red Cross to host appointment-only blood drives to help with the severe shortage of blood donations in the area and across the country. The RailRiders have created coloring and activity sheets to help keep young fans entertained and are using social media and email marketing to share important information from their nonprofit community, small business and restaurant partners. Additionally, Champ, the RailRiders mascot, has been busy participating in home exercise videos with team partner the Greater Scranton YMCA.
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have created a dedicated webpage to keep their fans updated on what their corporate and charitable partners are doing in the community in relation to COVID-19.
The South Bend Cubs have provided over 2,000 meals to local hospitals.
The Springfield Cardinals are keeping kids and parents alike engaged in outdoor activities through their Cards at Home activities page. This page includes home workout tips and messages from Cardinals players and coaches. They are also engaging with their community and supporting their local heroes with digital “Community All-Stars” baseball cards.
The St. Lucie Mets are assisting members of their Silver Sluggers program by offering staff assistance such as help with shopping and making grocery deliveries. They are also assisting the Boys & Girls Club with meal pickup and delivery for families in need.
The Toledo Mud Hens are raising money for their local United Way’s COVID-19 relief fund by matching sales on their online store. The Mud Hens are also promoting a local relief fund through the Greater Toledo Community Foundation, which administers their Helping Hens Charity Fund. Additionally, they are launching a Hometown Heroes social media campaign to highlight the efforts of first responders, health care workers and others who are working during this time.
The Tulsa Drillers have partnered with their local YMCA to provide family friendly workouts to keep both parents and kids active while at home. They are also offering curbside dinner options to the Tulsa community.
The West Michigan Whitecaps have donated 300 ponchos to a local nursing home, as well as gloves, to-go boxes and bags to local food basket.
The West Virginia Power have put together an educational activity book for kids. The Power also organized a "Restaurant Takeout Week" to highlight local restaurants and help small businesses.
The Wichita Wind Surge have developed ways to keep young fans engaged through learning exercises that include math, language arts, geography and story time. The Wind Surge are providing non-medical masks for Wichita citizens to wear.
The Wilmington Blue Rocks assisted with a food bank drive-thru in their stadium parking lot and continue to urge the community to support local food establishments.
The Winston-Salem Dash are providing one free family-size meal per week to all game day employees.
The Visalia Rawhide have made monetary donations to a local food bank, hospitals and hospital foundations. The Rawhide have also moved their reading program online.
The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers donated all leftover produce to St. Joseph Food Program, a local food pantry.
