Colorado Rockies donate half a million dollars to regional food bank

 The Colorado Rockies Baseball Club Foundation announced today that a total of $502,425 was raised for food banks in Colorado and Wyoming during the “Stay at Home Opener: Feed the Rockies” event that aired on AT&T SportsNet and on Rockies.com on Friday, April 3 at 2 p.m. MDT – the date and time of the originally scheduled Rockies home opener.

A total of 1,134 Rockies fans and players made online donations throughout the weekend, totaling $102,425. Additionally, it was announced Friday that the family of Rockies first baseman Daniel Murphy had donated $100,000 to the effort. The Rockies Foundation, which had pledged to match all donations up to $300,000, donated the entire $300,000 pledge, bringing the grand total to $502,425.

“We are grateful for the partnership between the Colorado Rockies Foundation and food banks across Colorado and Wyoming,” said Food Bank of the Rockies CEO Erin Pulling. “I am in awe of the generosity in this community to help provide food for those impacted during the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you to the Colorado Rockies Foundation and all of those who contributed funds through this Stay at Home Opener and Feed the Rockies event. Your generosity will provide the equivalent of two million meals across Colorado and Wyoming.”

Food Bank of the Rockies is the largest private hunger-relief organization in Colorado and Wyoming. They are part of the Feeding America network and partner with more than 600 local pantries in 30 counties across the two states. In normal times, they distribute enough food to provide 155,000 meals in a single day, with nearly half of this food going to children. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 virus, Food Bank of the Rockies is expecting to feed double their number of typical clients for at least the next three to six months.

The “Stay at Home Opener” was a virtual game comprised of the most memorable innings in the history of Rockies home openers, including commentary from AT&T SportsNet host Jenny Cavnar (from her home), as well as video messages from players who lived some of the greatest home opener moments in Rockies history. Rockies social media platforms were also heavily involved during the initial airing on Friday, as they created a second-screen in-game experience for fans at home through video messages from players and Rockies broadcasters, comical takes on between-inning contests, and at-home renditions of “Take Me out to the Ball Game” with Rockies staff members and “God Bless America” with members of the military.

“This was a team effort,” said Rockies Owner/Chairman and CEO Dick Monfort. “I want to give a big shout out to our staff – most of whom are working from their homes – our players, coaching staff, AT&T SportsNet, and of course, our fans for supporting this effort. These funds will feed a lot of people across Colorado and Wyoming, and it is thanks to you all.”