Coun. Craig Nixon may not be a big baseball fan, per se, but he is a big fan of helping local charities, and that includes the Barrie Food Bank.
It was after attending the annual Hockey Night In Barrie that the Ward 2 councillor began thinking about how great it would be to be able to host other similar events in an effort to raise even more money for local charitable organizations.
The first-term councillor decided to take on the task of organizing Home Runs 4 The Hungry, a charity baseball game with the Barrie Baycats on behalf of the Barrie Food Bank.
The popular charity hockey game "has been very successful over the years," Nixon said. "I was at the event last year and I remember driving home and thinking what a great time everybody had … and they raised a ton of money. All of a sudden, I had the idea that if it works in the fall we should look at doing it in the spring, but make it a baseball theme."
Nixon says he was inspired to choose the Barrie Food Bank as the recipient of funds raised for the event — which is scheduled for Saturday, May 6 at 2 p.m. at the Barrie Community Sports Complex in Midhurst — following a conversation with executive director Sharon Palmer, where he learned just how challenging things have become.
“They have been hit hard. In March, they provided food support to 5,600 different people," Nixon said. "That’s a huge number and it’s like a 50 per cent increase over last year and it just keeps increasing. We felt it would be a great organization to support. They don’t receive any federal or provincial funding.
"Other than a big property tax break they get from the city, everything they get is privately donated. Anything we can do to help is important," he added.
Teams are quickly coming together, said Nixon, noting they will be made up of several former and current Barrie Baycats, Barrie resident and “Strongman” competitor Mitchell Hooper, boxer Mark Smither, various politicians along with Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston and Fire Chief Cory Mainprize.
“It’s just going to be a fun afternoon to raise some money for the food bank,” said Nixon, adding retired NHL referee Ron Hoggarth will also be at the game as a “roving reporter.”
“It’s kind of fun to cheer them on and see them out of their element just having fun. We have quite a mix and the list keeps growing every day,” said Nixon, adding thanks to several “amazing” sponsors, which are helping cover the costs of jerseys and other expenses, every penny raised from every ticket will go directly to the Barrie Food Bank.
“It’s all about attendance and the more tickets we sell the more the food bank gets,” he said, adding his goal is to raise 20 to 25 per cent of what was this year’s Hockey Night In Barrie event raised, given Vintage Throne Stadium only seats 1,500 people.
“It’s all about ticket sales. The more the better, but the ultimate goal would be if it was sold out. If it’s sold out, we are going to be able to raise close to $30,000 for the food bank, which is a big impact for them," Nixon added.
Palmer told BarrieToday she was approached in January about the concept of a celebrity ball game in collaboration with the Barrie Baycats to raise money for the local food bank, and was “thrilled” with the concept.
“It sounded like a ton of fun and it was an opportunity to establish a new community event to raise money for the food bank," she said.
The Barrie Food Bank has seen a 56 per cent growth in the number of individuals needing food support in our community over the past 12 months and the facility is now supporting more than 5,200 individuals each month, said Palmer, a level of growth that means the organization needs to bring in more funds to ensure it can continue to meet the need.
“The Home Runs 4 The Hungry event will have something for everyone," she added. "I think it will be highly entertaining and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds with the Baycats team split in two and celebrities joining each team. We want this to be an annual event for the Barrie Food Bank."
Partnering up with Nixon for this event was a “no-brainer” for the club, said Barrie Baycats president Josh Matlow.
“Not only are we advocates of feeding the hungry and working with the Barrie Food Bank, but we felt it was a great opportunity to get involved at an organizational level to help raise awareness of the rising concerns of hunger in the area," he said.
"We have done our best to be as much a part of the community in the last few years, but we felt this was a perfect opportunity to utilize our platforms to help get involved, raise awareness and truly help make an impact,” Matlow added.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
