Soon-to-be Hall of Fame Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was back in Boston to help open a new food pantry located in a local high school as part of a campaign to “strike out school hunger” launched by the Boston Red Sox and Stop & Shop.
“We know how hard it is to get out of school and go back home and not be able to have a meal at the house, something to enjoy after all the hard work of the day,” Ortiz told an auditorium full of students at Jeremiah E. Burke High School in Boston Tuesday.
The Red Sox and Stop & Shop launched a multi-year program with a pledge to donate 10 million meals to students facing food insecurity. For every Red Sox strikeout during the regular season, Stop & Shop will donated 10,000 meals to in-school food pantries like the new one at Burke.
More than 1 in 5 children live in a household facing food insecurity, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Childhood hunger can impact students’ performance in the classroom and in extracurricular activities, likes sports.
“During the pandemic, hunger became a massive issue at the forefront of people’s minds. So that’s why we then got into this, to strike out hunger. We’re delighted to work with the Red Sox,” said Stop & Shop President Gordon Reid, who was on site at the pantry.
Burke’s food pantry is located off a central hallway near the school cafeteria, and offers an array of healthy foods, including whole grain cereals and soups. The program supplements free meals provided to students by Boston Public Schools, which offers free breakfasts and lunches to some 49,000 children throughout the city on a daily basis.
Ortiz answered a handful of questions from students during a kick-off assembly Tuesday, including how he’s anticipating his upcoming induction into Cooperstown. Ortiz received the rare honor of being accepted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the first time his name was put on the ballot.
“I’m happy and proud to be part of the Hall of Fame now, especially being part of the city – the city that made me grow up, and taught me how to be a better person, better human being, better player,” he told students. “And I’m going to be extremely happy and excited being inducted into the Hall of Fame wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey. Very proud.”
Red Sox President Sam Kennedy took the stage at the assembly to offer another big donation to the school: a pair of free Red Sox game tickets to every student and staff member for a game in the 2022-2023 season.
“There is no one more important in our community than the teachers working with these awesome students day-in and day-out,” Kennedy said.
