Swishes for Dishes initiative to tip off with the Santa Cruz Warriors
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KION) The Santa Cruz Warriors, Kaiser Permanente, and The Athletes' Corner will bring the Swishes for Dishes initiative to the Central Coast.
The initiative was launched in December 2020 with the Golden State Warriors, Kaiser Permanente, and The Athletes' Corner to help aid food insecurity throughout the Bay Area.
Now that the program will be on the Central Coast, Santa Cruz will donate 30 meals per point the Santa Cruz Warriors score to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County during their 2020-2021 single-site season.
"Our goal for this season is to donate 50,000 meals to families in need," Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy said. “The impacts of COVID-19 have increased food insecurity drastically, and this program allows us to do our part in combating hunger in Santa Cruz County.”
Public Affairs Director for Kaiser Permanente South Bay and Santa Cruz County Karla Lomax said, "“We are so pleased to be partnering with the Warriors and The Athletes’ Corner on this very worthy initiative."
Lomax goes on to say the efforts from the Swishes for Dishes initiative had a profound impact on communities, especially during last year's wildfires across the state.
The Golden State Warriors donated 373,400 meals to food banks in Northern California. The Santa Cruz Warriors say they hope to further drive awareness to Swishes for Dishes as they support Santa Cruz County families.
“The Santa Cruz Warriors continue as champion Hunger Heroes in our county,” said Second Harvest Food Bank Chief Development Officer, Suzanne Willis. “The Swishes for Dishes campaign is the most recent example of how the Sea Dubs demonstrate their care for people experiencing food insecurity. This campaign will provide further help during this major spike in food bank distribution demand.”
"We are excited to bring the Swishes for Dishes initiative to Santa Cruz and look forward to increasing our overall reach in helping those in need”, said Co-Founder of The Athletes’ Corner and Golden State Warriors TV Color Analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, Kelenna Azubuike.
