The Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation has made a $100,000 donation to the Capital Area Food Bank to provide relief for residents experiencing food insecurity in Prince George's County as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are proud to continue to support our longstanding partner, the Capital Area Food Bank in providing food to hundreds of thousands of families who are facing hunger in Prince George's County during this health crisis," said Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder. "I'd like to thank Angela Alsobrooks for her important efforts and hope that our donation helps make a difference in assisting the community during this trying time."
The donation was made in response to a call to action from Alsobrooks to raise additional funding to support the county where more than 20,000 county residents have lost their jobs due to the economic downturn, and unemployment claims are at an all-time high.
"We greatly appreciate our valued partner Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins for answering my call to action to assist with the food insecurity we are facing during this pandemic," Alsobrooks said. "This donation will go a long way in our mission of feeding our residents in need. The Redskins are such an important part of our community and we look forward to continuing our longstanding relationship with them for years to come."
Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB), the anchor in the region's hunger relief infrastructure and a member of the Feeding America network, has been working diligently to keep itshundreds of nonprofit partners supplied with food during this time. Some partner organizations report anywhere from 30 to 400% increases in the numbers of people coming through their doors. They have also seen three times the normal number of calls to their "Hunger Hotline," which helps those in need of assistance get help finding food in their area.
A dramatic uptick in the need for food emergency assistance across the region, coupled with a decline in retail food donations to 75% below normal levels, have put significant strain on the Capital Area Food Bank's capacity to serve residents hard hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19. With these impacts likely to linger for months to come, the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation's support will help to ease this pressure by providing upwards of 250,000 meals for kids, families, seniors, and other individuals.
As a part of the NFL's COVID-19 relief efforts, the league announced the first ever "Draft-A-Thon", a three-day virtual fundraiser that will be integrated into the NFL Draft. In an effort to bring communities together to support national and local non-profit organizations, funds will be raised and distributed via the NFL Foundation following this week's Draft. Fans who are interested in donating to the Redskins efforts to support Feeding America and the Capital Area Food Bank can do so leading up to and during the NFL Draft at www.nfl.com/relief.
For more information on Capital Area Food Bank's COVID relief efforts, please visit https://www.capitalareafoodbank.org/covid19response/.
