Fallon Health and the Worcester Red Sox Team Up to Host Food Drive
Worcester, MA, September 9, 2021— Fallon Health, a community-based, not-for-profit health care services organization, and the Worcester Red Sox today announced new details surrounding the ‘Strike Out Hunger’ campaign. Building on their shared commitment to fighting hunger in the community, the organizations will host a food drive to help individuals and families across the region who are dealing with food insecurity. The drive will bolster Fallon’s $50,000 donation to the Worcester County Food Bank (WCFB), a commitment the organization made earlier in the season as sponsor of the important initiative.
The food drive—which coincides with Hunger Action Month—will take place leading up to the 4:05 p.m. WooSox home game on Saturday, September 11, 2021. Ticket holders for the game are asked to bring a canned good or non-perishable item to donate as they enter Polar Park. Visuals will include fans dropping of their donations, volunteers collecting items, a check presentation during opening ceremonies with representatives including Fallon CEO Richard Burke, U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern, and WCFB CEO Jean McMurray. McMurray will also be throwing out the Ceremonial First Pitch.
“We are pleased by the early success of the Strike Out Hunger campaign—in which Fallon Health contributes $50 to the Worcester County Food Bank every time a WooSox pitcher strikes out a member of the visiting ball club at Polar Park—and the awareness it is raising on such an important topic,” said Richard Burke, President and CEO of Fallon Health. “Through the food drive, we hope WooSox fans will join us in support of our mission and help us continue to fight hunger in the diverse communities we serve.”
“We are honored to partner with Fallon Health yet again on a community initiative,” said WooSox President Dr. Charles A. Steinberg. “Our ballclub and our WooSox Foundation have focused on food distribution all year, dating back to those cold mornings in January, and we are so pleased to work with Richard Burke and his outstanding team to take efforts even higher to ensure that the children and adults in our community have food—and the reassurance that they will not go hungry. Our fans have been so responsive to such initiatives; it continues to enhance Worcester’s well-earned reputation as “The Heart of the Commonwealth.”
“Food insecurity is a national crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern. “Nobody in this country ought to go hungry, and I’m proud to see organizations in our communities, like Fallon Health and the WooSox, teaming up to prevent hunger and to make a positive impact in the lives families who don’t know where their next meal will come from.”
“It’s a real team effort to provide food to our network of 119 Partner Agencies and the children, college students, working families, and older adults they serve,” said Jean McMurray, Chief Executive Officer of the Worcester County Food Bank. “We are grateful and impressed by the Worcester County community, including Fallon Health and the Worcester Red Sox, for their partnership and loyal acts of generosity. The donations of funds and food help keep meals on the tables of our neighbors while we work towards solving the problem of hunger.”
Feeding America estimates nearly 90,000 people in Worcester County are “food insecure.” According to those figures, one child out of every six—and one person out of 8— is not always sure where, how or when they will get their next meal. Additionally, the organization notes in its 2021 findings that many who have been most impacted by the pandemic were food insecure or at risk of food insecurity before COVID-19 and are facing greater hardship since COVID-19.
In 2020, Fallon Health provided $500,000 in hunger relief donations, rapid response grants, contributions to the Worcester Together Fund and Community Benefits grants to local organizations to help with COVID-19 recovery efforts. Food insecurity remains a funding priority for Fallon in 2021 as well.
Melissa Randall
Corporate Communications Manager, Fallon Health
508-368-9345
About Fallon Health
Founded in 1977, Fallon Health is a leading health care services organization that supports the diverse and changing needs of those we serve. In addition to offering innovative health insurance solutions and a variety of Medicaid and Medicare products, we excel in creating unique health care programs and services that provide coordinated, integrated care for seniors and individuals with complex health needs. Fallon has consistently ranked among the nation’s top health plans and is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its HMO, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid products.