The Washington Spirit Partners with Sandy Spring Bank and CVS Health to Host a Food Drive

The Washington Spirit, along with partners Sandy Spring Bank and CVS Health, are hosting a food drive from September 26 – October 3. They will be collecting non-perishable food items and monetary donations. Because of a food insecurity crisis at the hands of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Capital Area Food Bank and the Maryland Food Bank have begun distributing food to families in need. The Spirit have stepped in to support the two organizations.

The drive will kick off at the Washington Spirit match on Sunday, September 26 at Segra Field, where fans can donate four or more non-perishable food items and receive two tickets for the next Spirit home match on Saturday, October 9 at Audi Field.

There are multiple ways interested parties can participate. You can bring your items in-person at area Sandy Spring bank locations, online monetary donations directly to each Food Bank, visit area CVS Pharmacy locations and donate by rounding up your purchase at the register. As stated before you can also bring your items to the Washington Spirit home matches at Audi Field and Segra Field.

“The Maryland Food Bank and Capital Area Food Bank are doing amazing, life-changing work in our communities, especially over the last year and a half,” said Ronda McDowell, Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Sandy Spring Bank. “By partnering with the Washington Spirit and CVS, we can make more of an impact together than we ever could individually. We look forward to seeing the power of community in action as we support our neighbors in need.”

“CVS Health is committed to ensuring food security in the communities we serve,” said Eileen Howard Boone, SVP CSR & Philanthropy, CVS Health. “We’ve been especially focused on increasing access to healthy foods for those impacted by the pandemic and we are grateful for all of the work being done by our local partners in the Washington DC-area.”

“It’s important for us as an organization to support our community,” said Spirit Director of Corporate Partnerships Patrick Nightingale. “Food insecurity has always been an issue in our region and with the pandemic, it’s become even more pronounced. We are happy to have partners like Sandy Spring Bank and CVS to partner with so we can make a positive impact and assist our neighbors when they need it.”

The Capital Area Food Bank works to address hunger today and create brighter futures tomorrow for the over 500,000 people across the region experiencing food insecurity. As the anchor in the area’s hunger relief infrastructure, they provided over 75 million meals to people in need over the past year by supplying food to hundreds of nonprofit organizations, including Martha’s Table, SOME – So Others Might Eat, DC Central Kitchen, Food for Others, Manna, and others. They also work in partnership with organizations across the region to address hunger’s root causes by pairing food with other critical services.

For more than 40 years, the Maryland Food Bank has been leading the fight against hunger in the state. The organization supports a food assistance network of more than 350 community organizations statewide that collectively provide nearly 1,450 distribution points with much-needed food for their local communities. Through this network, MFB has distributed more than 72 million meals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. MFB will continue to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable communities while collaborating with partners to provide resources beyond food and address root causes of hunger so that more Marylanders can become financially stable and thrive.