The South Bronx-based New York City Football Club has announced it will donate 100,000 meals to local residents, to help ease the hardships caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The soccer club will team with the NY Common Pantry, which currently provides meals and other resources for over 81,000 Bronxites at its Choice Pantry Bronx location at Freeman Street and Hoe Avenue in West Farms.
“New York Common Pantry is a lifesaving organization and we are proud to do anything we can to contribute to this important work and help our neighbors in the South Bronx stay connected, healthy and fed during this crisis,” said the club’s CEO Brad Sims.
NY Common Pantry’s Executive Director, Stephen Grimaldi, added that the public health crisis brought about by the coronavirus “has exacerbated the already dire food insecurity situation,” across the city. “We’re seeing more new members, more families with children, and more newly unemployed individuals come to our Pantry for groceries. Partnerships like the one we have with NYCFC is crucial to our ability to remain a valuable resource for individuals and families in the Bronx.”
Various of the soccer club’s corporate partners, such as the The Whitestone, NY-based sports drink company BodyArmor, have donated beverages for the cause last month. Food company Goya has also committed to donating, as has Dumbo Moving and Storage, which vows to provide local ground support. And Xylem, a water technology firm based in Rye Brook, NY, which has promised to match all funds raised by its employees with a 2:1 donation.
In addition, the club says it will partner with the New York Yankees to create a $1.4 million Covid-19 Disaster Relief Program to help support the club’s staff during the team’s hiatus.
The club has created a resource hub called Stay Healthy. Stay Home. to connect fans, players and staff and mobilize outreach for NY Common Pantry. The hub includes educational materials for families, workouts from players and coaches, as well as contributions from Chief Culinary Coach Marcus Samuelsson and Club partners. Coaches will continue to deliver daily soccer workouts, weekly mentorship and professional development seminars through virtual classrooms, and will host a podcast to keep young people active, the team announced.
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