Virtual Ring Ceremony

June 16, 2020

The Washington Nationals unveiled their 2019 World Series championship rings during a virtual celebration on Sunday, May 24, the first virtual championship ring ceremony in MLB history. The show featured appearances from several members of the 2019 World Series championship team, Nationals ownership, and notable DMV personalities.

Not only did the virtual ring ceremony give Nationals fans a chance to celebrate the 2019 World Series champions, but provided Nationals fans with an opportunity to come together in support of those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. An estimated one in ten people in the Washington, D.C. region do not know where their next meal will come from. Leading up to and during the ceremony, fans were invited to donate to the NATS4GOOD Community Response Fund which would be passed along in full to two hunger relief partners.

Nationals Philanthropies raised over $118,000 issued in two grants to World Central Kitchen and Capital Area Food Bank in support of each organization’s ongoing COVID-19 response efforts.

Grantees

World Central Kitchen

Since March, Jose Andres and the WCK Relief Team have worked tirelessly to identify and provide to the most vulnerable communities at risk of going hungry. To date, their team has helped over 2,000 restaurants keep the lights on as well as served over 10 million fresh meals to students, families in need, seniors and frontline healthcare heroes. Over 500,000 of those meals have been served right out of the kitchens at Nationals Park to our neighbors in need, bringing together dozens of volunteers eager to join the mission and use the power of food to heal and strengthen communities.

“Working together with the entire Nationals organization throughout this crisis has enabled World Central Kitchen at Nats Park to cook more than half a million nourishing meals for our neighbors in need, and also brought together dozens of volunteer Washingtonians who wanted to join the mission” said Nate Mook, CEO of World Central Kitchen.  “We are honored and grateful that Nationals Philanthropies also used its Virtual Ring Ceremony to support our work to use the power of food to heal and strengthen communities.”

Capital Area Food Bank

The second grant issued as part of the World Series 2019 Virtual Ring Ceremony Presented by Budweiser went to the Capital Area Food Bank, who has ramped up and adapted to meet growing demands in response to the extraordinary challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. With an unprecedented spike of up to a 400% increase of those coming through the doors of food bank and community partners, CAFB has continued to provide thousands of children and families in the DMV with emergency food assistance. It has also maintained deliveries to more than 10,000 seniors across the region through the Grocery Plus, My Groceries to Go, and Senior Brown Bag programs. The funds raised through the World Series 2019 Virtual Ring Ceremony help CAFB to respond to this crisis today and plan for recovery and rebuilding in the months and years ahead.

“These are extraordinary times, and for many of our neighbors struggling to put food on the table, the challenges have never been greater,” said Radha Muthiah, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. “We’re seeing an unprecedented spike in the need for emergency food right now. It’s the support of our community, including incredible partners like Nationals Philanthropies, that’s making it possible to respond to this crisis today and plan for recovery and rebuilding in the months and years ahead.”