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Football
UVA, Kroger and Blue Ridge Food Bank Partner for TDs for Turkeys
Jason DeLaurier (Kroger), Bronco Mendenhall, Karen Ratzlaff and Joe Caputi (Blue Ridge Area Food Bank) and Mike Davis (Kroger) participated in today's event.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – On Friday, Dec. 18, the Virginia football team teamed up with Kroger and the Blue Ridge Food Bank for a generous community service event. Kroger donated 400 turkeys to Blue Ridge Area Food Bank that will go to local families who rely on food banks and food pantries to feed their households.
The donation is a result of Touchdown for Turkeys, a campaign where Kroger pledged to donate 10 turkeys for every touchdown scored by the Cavalier football team during the 2020 football season. UVA finished the season with 40 touchdowns, leading to 400 turkeys donated by Kroger.
“The opportunity to help others in our community through this partnership with Kroger and the Blue Ridge Area Foodbank is a source of pride for our team,” said Virginia Fralin Family Head Football Coach Bronco Mendenhall. “Scoring touchdowns is critical to our success but when you stop to realize that those touchdowns also result in putting food on someone’s table, that’s really powerful. The pandemic has been challenging for all of us. We’re happy our efforts will help to make things better for some families through this generous program.”
“This year brought an increased demand to food banks as many individuals are hurting as a result of the pandemic,” said Allison McGee, corporate affairs manager for Kroger Mid-Atlantic. “We hope that this turkey donation brings food during this holiday season those in need.”
“Thousands of individuals in our communities are seeking hope in the form of nourishment, especially this holiday season,” says Michael McKee, CEO of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. “Touch Down’s For Turkey’s is sure to help provide just that, along with gratitude for each touchdown the Cavs made this season.”
Blue Ridge Area Foodbank is a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 that serves 25 counties and 8 cities on either side of the Blue Ridge by providing nutritious food to 103,500 people per month through a network of 200 food pantries, soup kitchens, schools, churches and other nonprofit groups.