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Included in the work carried out under the team’s Jays Care Foundation, Rogers Centre was made into a temporary food drive headquarters, mobilizing staff and volunteers to make a non-baseball impact.
Those efforts extended far beyond the team’s long-time home, a coast-to-coast initiative that included an estimated 20,000 hours in volunteer work resulting in the delivery of 8.1 million meals to Canadians in need.
While it’s easy to be cynical about big-money sports franchises — especially those owned by corporate giants such as Rogers Communications — the Jays have long stressed the importance of community connection.
It has become a priority — and point of pride — under president and CEO Mark Shapiro’s watch where the Jays Care Foundation has been active in several charitable connections over the years. The work in 2020 certainly caught the attention of MLB as a standout set of accomplishments among its 30 teams.
“Despite not playing on Canadian soil this summer, our hearts remained in Canada — with those in our community that were experiencing urgent needs exacerbated by the pandemic,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Sport provides a tremendous opportunity for positive change.
“By turning challenges into opportunities this season, our fans, staff, players, alumni, and partners worked together to help thousands of Canadians when they needed us most.”
Once the pandemic began affecting Canadians, the Jays focused on addressing two specific areas: Feeding those in need and helping in areas of social isolation facing young Canadians across the country.
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