The Prince William County Girls Softball Little League (PWCGSLL) made a donation of $1,545 Sunday to the Haymarket Food Pantry.
The money donated was a portion of the approximate $20,000 the girls raised during their Bat Bonanza Fundraiser. During that fundraiser, the girls solicited either flat donations or change-on-the-dollar multiplied by the number of points they earned in the Bat Bonanza hitting game May 18.
After fees, donations and prizes, the league made an approximate $15,000 to pay for the upkeep and maintenance of softball fields, such as the one at Tyler Elementary School in Haymarket. The fundraising also keeps registration costs low for the 296 girls, ages 4-13, participating, making the sport affordable and accessible to everyone.
The PWCGSLL presented the Haymarket Food Pantry’s share of the money via a giant check that was handed to Executive Director of the Haymarket Food Pantry Pam Stutz and Mary Lou Scarborough, Haymarket Councilwoman.
Stutz appreciated the donation and said it would go far to feed local people in need this summer, making up for “what we don’t receive in donations,” most of which is packaged foods.
According to Stutz and Scarborough, with school being out in a few days, the Haymarket Pantry is requesting foods children can easily prepare themselves for breakfast or lunch, such as macaroni and cheese, cereal and mash potatoes. However, they would also like to see more fresh vegetables donated to the pantry and would accept fresh fruit and vegetables grown in home gardens.
Ralph Sinnott, President of the PWCGSLL Board of Directors, said they chose to support the Haymarket Food Pantry because it is a local charity.
“We’re local, so we wanted to do something local. With times being tough, food pantries have it the hardest,” Sinnott said.
The giant check was presented to the Haymarket Food Pantry as part of the end-of-the-season ceremony held the afternoon of June 15, during which athletes were honored for raising the money for the league.
Top three fundraisers, Kelsey Rino, who raised $1,110, Cassandra Garrisa, who raised $1,048, and Alexis Minor, who raised $550, received iPad Minis. The top fundraising team, the Majors Division Tidal Waves, who raised $2,336 for their league, already received their award; on June 9, they attended a Potomac National’s game where they were on the field and got to meet the players.
Sinnott, reflecting on the spring season, explained that the league had achieved many of the goals of its board from raising funds to demonstrating excellence in their sport. For the 2013 Spring Season, the PWCGSLL will send one Minor Division team to Regionals and one Major Division team to compete in the Girls Softball Little League State Tournament in Leesburg on July 12. For the Majors Division, qualifying for State Championships is the first step toward going to the Girls Softball Little League World Series in Portland, Oregon. And, Sinnott is already planning next spring season, when he hopes to hold play-off games as well.
Sinnott thanked his board members, coaches and parent volunteers for making the season a success for the girls. He especially thanked Bat Bonanza organizer Barb Short and coordinator Shannon Joy for their work on the fundraising project.
“Thank you to each and every one of you,” he said. “I think what we do here for the girls is really important.”
He said there is one reason he does what he does for the softball league: “To give girls in Prince William County the same opportunities as everyone else.”
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