The Miami Marlins, along with the rest of the sports world, had their plans halted in mid-March due to the global pandemic. Since that day, the Marlins organization has been focused on making an impact in our local community as we all navigate through this unprecedented time. On April 2, the organization launched the Home Plate Meals Relief Fund to immediately jump into action and provide much needed meals for those dealing with food security issues.
The graphic below showcases the impact made across the South Florida community by the Marlins organization and the Miami Marlins Foundation through the launch of the Home Plate Meals Relief Fund. As noted in the graphic, more than 345,000 meals were distributed to local communities, and more than 225,000 meals for students!
HOME PLATE MEALS RELIEF FUND
+ The Miami Marlins Foundation launched the Home Plate Meals Relief Fund on April 2 with an initial investment of
$100,000. + Marlins partner Florida Blue joined the Foundation’s efforts with a $50,000 contribution. + The combined total of $150,000 was used to make an impact in addressing urgent food security issues across the
South Florida community.
FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS
+ The Marlins joined local community partners – Feeding South Florida, Farm Share, DeliverLean and Bridge to Hope –
to quickly support families from local communities with growing food security needs. + Marlins Park hosted weekly drive-thru only food distributions on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in April and May,
providing meals and/or non-perishable items to more than 500 families at each distribution. + With the growing need for face masks, the Marlins and the Miami Marlins Foundation included Foundation-branded
masks for recipients at the food distributions. + In partnership with Farm Share and Feeding South Florida, the Miami Marlins Foundation also hosted distributions in
Allapattah, Liberty City and Overtown, supporting neighboring communities of the ballpark.
MARLINS PARK COLLECTION SITE
+ At the onset of the pandemic, the Marlins made available the surrounding parking lots adjacent to Marlins Park to serve the community. The organization worked with Miami-Dade County to operate a collection site in the surface lots on the west side of the ballpark.
FRONT LINE HEROES
+ The Miami Marlins and Miami Marlins Foundation also partnered with organizations to provide support to those in
need in our community as well as the frontline heroes, police and fire departments and healthcare professionals. + In partnership with AT&T, complimentary meals were provided to healthcare professionals at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Jackson South Hospital, Jackson North Hospital, Miami VA Medical Center and UHealh during Nurses Week and Hospital Week. + In partnership with Tito’s Handmade Vodka, complimentary meals were provided to members of the hospitality and
service industry across the state of Florida. + The organization also surprised senior citizens at various Sedano’s Supermarkets by covering the costs of their
groceries.
MIAMI MARLINS MASKS
+ The Marlins organization partnered with World Red Eye to help provide much-needed supplies to front line heroes
during the COVID-19 crisis. + Nearly 1,000 items of clothing, including uniform jerseys and pants and cotton shirts, were donated to World Red
Eye to produce masks for the South Florida community.
JACKIE ROBINSON DAY
+ In celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, the Miami Marlins and the Miami Marlins Foundation honored his legacy with
activities around South Florida. + In partnership with Farm Share, a drive-thru food distribution was held for approximately 500 households from the Liberty City area. In addition to a fresh meal, each family received an educational pamphlet about Jackie Robinson. + With partner Bridge to Hope, the Miami Marlins Foundation provided home delivery of essential nutrition items to 25
KIPP Sunrise families from Liberty City dealing with food security needs. + Marlins players and alumni joined together for Connected to 42, a virtual roundtable conversation about the impact of Jackie Robinson throughout the generations. Marlins alumnus Charles Johnson served as moderator for the discussion, which included Marlins players Lewis Brinson, Jazz Chisholm, Sterling Sharp and Stephen Tarpley, bench coach James Rowson, and alumni Cliff Floyd and Juan Pierre.
BILLY’S ACTIVITY ZONE
+ With schools turning to distance learning, the Marlins launched Billy’s Activity Zone to provide fun and engaging
at-home activities for students, teachers and parents. + Billy’s Activity Zone ensured productive days for the entire family by keeping kids engaged with a variety of fun and
educational options (coloring pages, worksheets, games, etc.).
