(June 2018) While the Golden State Warriors took care of business on the hardwood, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, fans of “Dub Nation” also took care of business, raising thousands of dollars for their neighbors in need in what has become an annual tradition; the Food Bank Finals Challenge.
The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and the Alameda County Community Food Bank asked Warriors fans to show they are more generous than “Cavs” fans, when it comes to supporting their local food banks. When the series ended with the Warriors’ decisive game 4 victory, and the dust had settled, we started to tally up all the donations made during this super fun campaign. Alameda County collected the most donations – $15,071.13. The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank collected 5029.60. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank only collected 155.00. Collectively, all three food banks are able to turn that amount into over $130,000 worth of food.
Quotes:
“There will certainly be a winner in this contest, but we all win when fans take time to help their neighbors in need at the same time.” Paul Ash, Executive Director of the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank.
“It’s incredible that we are hosting part of the NBA Finals in the Bay Area for the fourth-straight year, and we’re grateful that both the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers can use the championship series as an opportunity to amplify awareness around feeding the hungry,” said Joanne Pasternack, Golden State Warriors Vice President of Community Relations and Executive Director of the Warriors Community Foundation. “As we all work together to help the food banks meet their collective goal over the course of the NBA Finals, this partnership spanning communities is more proof of how the NBA, its teams and its marquee events can help bring people together for a common cause.”
“I am proud to cheer on the Warriors for the fourth year in a row while joining forces with all of Dub Nation to support our local food bank,” said San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell. “Together, we are helping feed families and residents in need – that is what ‘Strength In Numbers’ is all about.”
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Mark Seelig
Public Relations Manager
San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
(office) 415-282-1907 ext. 270; (cell) 415-246-9146
mseelig@sfmfoodbank.org
Mike Altfest
Director of Community Engagement
Alameda County Community Food Bank
Phone: (510) 635-3663 ext. 330; (cell) 510-684-8655
maltfest@accfb.org
Karen Pozna
Director of Communications
Greater Cleveland Food Bank
216-738-2132; (cell) 216-214-9436
kpozna@clevelandfoodbank.org
About San Francisco-Marin Food Bank
The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank’s mission is to end hunger in San Francisco and Marin, where one in four neighbors is at risk of hunger. We envision a community where everyone is able to obtain enough nutritious food in a dignified manner to support the health and well-being of themselves and their families. We address hunger head on: from our pantry network and home-delivered groceries, to our nutrition-education classes and food-stamp enrollment, we work in many ways to nourish and empower neighbors in need. Every week, 30,000 households count on us for food assistance. Nearly 60 percent of what we distribute is fresh fruits and vegetables. Learn more at www.sfmfoodbank.org.
About Alameda County Community Food Bank
Alameda County Community Food Bank—Feeding America’s 2016-2017 Food Bank of the Year–has been at the forefront of hunger relief efforts in the Bay Area since 1985. This year, the Food Bank will distribute the equivalent of 28 million meals. More than half of the food distributed is farm-fresh produce. The Food Bank serves 1 in 5 Alameda County residents by distributing food through a network of more than 200 food pantries, soup kitchens, and other community organizations, as well as direct-distribution programs including Children’s Backpack and Mobile Pantry. For 11 consecutive years, Alameda County Community Food Bank has received Charity Navigator’s top rating — Four Stars — ranking the organization among the top 1 percent of charities nationwide. Learn more at www.accfb.org
About Greater Cleveland Food Bank
The Food Bank is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio, providing over 55 million meals in 2017 to hungry people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties. Our mission is to ensure that everyone in our communities has the nutritious food they need every day. We do this through both food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. The best and easiest way to help is to go online: visit us at www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org
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