The Foody McFoody Face food drive was born in a group DM on Twitter. There were some people who opined that this was a clever PR move by SoccerCity SD
The Foody McFoody Face food drive was born in a group DM on Twitter. There were some people who opined that this was a clever PR move by SoccerCity SD. Not so. It was just a group of regular people, from all walks of life, wanting to do something good for the San Diego community.
From July 1st-9th, soccer people across San Diego have partnered with local bars and restaurants that generally show soccer matches. These establishments became official food donation sites for the FoodyMcFoody food drive that supports the San Diego food bank.
In the summer months, the volume of food donations usually decrease, despite the fact that families may need assistance more than ever, because the children are out of school where meals are provided. The San Diego Food Bank has provided several barrels, each holding about 200 lbs of food and the hope is to completely fill each barrel at all 11 collection venues and to also fill at least 3 barrels on Sunday, July 9th at the Pancho Villas Army tailgate before the Gold Cup matches at Qualcomm. The barrels will be located on Sunday at the Q, in lot G2 where the PVA and Foody planners will be tailgating.
Many of the people behind Foody are members of the American Outlaws SD supporters group. The American Outlaws is a nationwide soccer supporters group whose stated mission is “to support the United States National Soccer Teams through a unified and dedicated group of supporters. Creating a community locally and nationally to Unite & Strengthen U.S. Soccer fans from all parts of this country.”
AO San Diego, are based out of O’Brien’s Pub for watch parties for USMNT and USWNT games. Saturday, July 8th, they will be having a watch party for the USMNT Gold Cup game vs Panama which kicks off at 1:30 pm. At O’Brien’s you can bring non-perishables to donate and anyone who brings an entire bag of food earns a chance at an opportunity drawing for Gold Cup tickets for Sunday’s game at Qualcomm.
For those who can not make it to the drop off locations, you can donate online at foodymcfoodyface.com The financial goal was $1,000 initially, but once that was reached, the group decided to set $2020 as a goal. There is a bit of reason for $2020, but we won’t discuss that… At the time of this writing, the $2020 has also been exceeded and now the task is to run up our goal difference. Every single dollar donated yields 5 meals. So right now the virtual drive by itself has provided well over 10,000 meals thus far.
Another key thing worth mentioning, is that people and groups outside of San Diego have donated in support of Foody. Although donations are anonymous online, many of the American Outlaw chapters across the country have donated and posted their contribution and support on Twitter.
“The outpouring of support from not only within the community, but outside of it, has been simply overwhelming. American Outlaw Chapters from Phoenix, Modesto, San Jose have all given various amounts to this food drive. Across the outlaws, the hashtag #AOFamily has become much more than just a social media tag, it’s truly the way things are. The soccer community bands together in inordinate ways.” – Steve Brockhoff from AO San Diego
One of the organizers met with the San Diego food bank yesterday and discussed how the organization and the people behind Foody can partner together long-term. Foody is not going away, and the organizers are committed to making a long-term difference. Drew Steck channeled his inner Robert Frost, and summed up the totality of what Foody is all about.
“San Diegans have a special culture that reflects its topography,” said Steck. “Our small mountains of industry built around climate, location and crucial science are contrasted with the canyons and quagmires of a housing crisis and third world poverty closer to us than the closest metropolis. Then you have beaches, our beautiful gathering grounds. For some, this is our plethora of breweries, for others it’s the vibrant (and highly underrated) arts scene, but for us who love this sport, it inspires us. With Foody McFoody Face, as one big (slaphappy) community we can help a neighbor who might otherwise struggle to fulfill one of their basic needs for nutrition. That is bigger than any team that ever has been here, or might ever be here, and a legacy you can have a tangible hand in literally right now.”
DONATION CENTERS:
