Birmingham’s 5 professional sports teams and fans help the hungry
By Lisa Crane
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — It feels like the holiday season has kicked off now that we’re just a few days away from Thanksgiving. It’s a generous time of year, when we count our own blessings and realize there are a lot of people who aren’t as fortunate.
Volunteers at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama are packaging and wrapping holiday boxes full of the ingredients for a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Monday, they got some help from the pros.
That’s the Magic City’s five professional sports teams.
Tim Sullivan with the Birmingham Stallions said, “Birmingham has a strong sense of community. And so, when people understand that there is a need and the people understand other people could use some help, the community picks up and works together to make sure that it’s a good effort.”
The Birmingham Barons, Bulls, Stallions, Squadron and Legion donated enough food for almost 500 meals. This is the third year of their combined effort.
Trevor McMullen with the Legion said, “We’re nothing without our community. A club is nothing without its community. So, to have a unique opportunity to give back to a community that shows us a ton of love, it’s an incredible opportunity. And yeah, I had a great time doing it.”
The food bank has been getting a lot of human help these days as well.
Executive Director Nicole Williams said, “The generosity of this community has been amazing during the government shutdown. We doubled the number of volunteers that we had. We opened shifts on the weekends, and people showed up. And, people gave funds and of their time, and we were so grateful, could not have done it without the support of the community.”
Williams said the generosity of folks in Central Alabama is unmatched. When they know there is a need, they step up with their money and their time. And while many of us feel generous during the holidays, she said, don’t forget the need is year-round.
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