Minnesota sports teams and sports media announce “Home Teams vs. Hunger”

On Monday, Minnesota’s sports teams — Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins, Major League Soccer’s Minnesota United FC, the National Basketball Association’s Minnesota Timberwolves and Women’s National Basketball Association’s Minnesota Lynx, National Football League’s Minnesota Vikings, National Hockey League’s Minnesota Wild and the University of Minnesota’s Gopher Athletics department, in conjunction with FOX Sports North and sports media outlets across the state, announced “Home Teams vs. Hunger” — a public service campaign and fundraising initiative designed to showcase the power of teamwork as Minnesota’s sports community joins forces to end hunger.

“Home Teams vs. Hunger” will take place Sept. 23 through Sept. 30. The week-long campaign will feature content and appearances by Minnesota’s pro sports athletes, coaches and executives, plus include unique give-back opportunities and many one-of-a-kind auction items up for bid.

Proceeds from the campaign will support Second Harvest Heartland and Minnesota’s five additional Feeding America food banks, serving 110 counties in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin.

Community members are invited to help by donating to hunger relief or participating in the campaign’s auction. Minnesota’s sports teams created several special packages that will be available to the highest bidder. The packages feature one-of-a-kind team experiences, autographed merchandise and more.  Highlights include a “Team Premiere Package” with tickets to attend a variety of games once fans are allowed to return to the stands, an “Ultimate Merchandise Package” containing autographed items from every team in town, plus a number of one-of-a-kind team sports experiences typically not available to the public.  To view a complete list of items or to bid, visit www.2Harvest.org/HomeTeams.

Many professional athletes and team representatives also stepped up to serve as spokespersons for Minnesota’s impending food crisis and to use their voices to raise awareness during ‘Hunger Action Month.’ A list of team spokespersons is below.

Minnesota’s sports media community, with support from the Minnesota Broadcasters Association, have also joined forces to create awareness about hunger and the affects COVID-19 has had in our community. Sports writers along with broadcast and radio stations across the state will be sharing information about food needs in Minnesota while promoting the work of the pro sports teams and the live auction. A complete list of media participants can be found here.

Additionally, FOX Sports North will debut a special 30-minute show on Friday, Sept 25 at 10:30pm (immediately following the Twins game) that will showcase the athletes, coaches and executives getting behind the cause and the amazing work Second Harvest Heartland and Minnesota’s six Feeding America Food Banks are doing across Minnesota.

“Home Teams vs. Hunger” sports team spokespersons:

Minnesota Wild:

Jared Spurgeon

Alex Stalock

Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx:

Josh Okogie

Jarrett Culver

Rachel Banham

Minnesota Vikings:

Kyle Rudolph

Ezra Cleveland

EJ Henderson

Tommy Kramer

Andrew Miller

Minnesota Twins:

Rocco Baldelli

Nelson Cruz

Josh Donaldson

José Berríos

Randy Dobnak

Thad Levine

Minnesota United FC:

Ethan Finlay

Kyndra de St Aubin

Cal Williams

University of Minnesota – Gopher Athletics:

Bob Motzko

Lindsay Whalen

About Second Harvest Heartland

Hunger doesn’t wait. While COVID-19 affects our community, helping neighbors experiencing hunger is more necessary than ever. Missing work and an uncertain economy mean families are missing meals. Second Harvest Heartland’s COVID-19 plans includes emergency food boxes, prepared meals from Minnesota Central Kitchen, access to SNAP (food stamps), extra measures to keep Second Harvest Heartland employees and food safe, and partnering with elected officials. We are all concerned about staying safe and reducing our exposure to illness. But for some of our neighbors, a lack of resources means they can’t afford to stock up on food. Please donate at www.2harvest.org/emergencyfood to fund an emergency food box today. You can also learn more about Second Harvest Heartland’s COVID-19 response by visiting www.2harvest.org/covid19update.