Atlanta Braves Morning Chop: Jason Grilli, Canada, 2016 Outlook
Jun 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Jason Grilli (39) signs an autograph for a fan prior to the game agains the New York Mets at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
The announcement was made yesterday that Jason Grilli is the Atlanta Braves’ nominee for baseball’s Roberto Clemente award this year.
A couple of things about this award: this seeks to honor those who honor their communities with various charity efforts, and it does so by insuring there are no repeat winners. Thus many players are recognized and congratulated for what they do off the field.
The last Braves recipient was John Smoltz in 2005. Before that, Dale Murphy (1980) and Phil Neikro (1980) were recognized for their efforts. The first winner was Willie Mays in 1971. Jimmy Rollins and Paul Konerko were named joint winners in 2014, as the award was split by league for the first time.
Rather than simply tell you that Grilli was named as the Braves’ representative, we thought we’d give you some insight to one reason for his nomination this week.
Jason “Grill Cheese” Grilli Kicks Off Feeding America Say No To Summer Hunger Events by Serving Lunch to Kids in Need
FEEDING AMERICA.ORG / JUNE 10, 2015
For most kids, summer is a time of fun and excitement, but for 22 million kids in communities across the country it also may mean the end of access to the free or reduced price meals that nourish them during the school year. That means for every five kids participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs, four will lose access to those meals as public schools close for the summer.
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Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, along with the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Atlanta Braves, hosted a special volunteer event today with Jason Grilli, a member of Feeding America’s Entertainment Council and pitcher for the Braves.
“I’m honored to be kicking off Feeding America’s Say No to Summer Hunger events to help raise awareness of child hunger,” Grilli said. “If flipping grilled cheese sandwiches for an afternoon helps catch some attention for the issue, then I’m all for it.”
The event was held at one of the Atlanta Community Food Bank’s partner agencies, The Study Hall, which is a non-profit organization that provides after-school and summer camp programming for low-income elementary school children in the greater Peoplestown community in Atlanta.
After taking a tour of the The Study Hall, Grilli fired up the grills and served his favorite lunch item—grilled cheese sandwiches—to more than 60 kids, ages 5 through 11. The Study Hall is located in Fulton County where according to recent Feeding America Map the Meal Gap data, more than 54,000 children are food insecure, which means they may not know where they’ll find their next meal. The state of Georgia has the fifth highest food-insecurity rate in the country.
More about this program and FeedingAmerica.org available at the link above.
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