Orioles team with local nonprofits to host first-ever OriolesREACH Week

The Orioles today announced the first-ever OriolesREACH Week, a week-long club program dedicated to giving back to the Baltimore community beginning August 20. Throughout the week, volunteers from the Orioles On Deck Employee Volunteer Program presented by Bank of America will assist a different locally-based nonprofit organization each day leading up to the 32nd annual OriolesREACH Food & Funds Drive, which begins Friday, August 24, at Oriole Park.

On Monday, August 20, the campaign will begin with a visit to The Baltimore Station to help renovate the campus by painting the halls and dormitory. The Baltimore Station is an innovative therapeutic residential treatment program that helps more than 135 homeless veterans transition through the cycle of poverty and addiction to achieve sobriety.

On Tuesday, August 21, Orioles employees will voluteer at the Maryland Food Bank, where they will work in the organization's warehouse to repack dry goods. For more than 35 years, the Maryland Food Bank has partnered with communities across the state to distribute food to individuals and families in need, becoming the leading anti-hunger organization in the state. The Maryland Food Bank currently distributes more than 102,000 meals per day and more than 37 million meals annually.

On Wednesday, August 22, OriolesREACH Week continues with the Fresh Start Leadership Project at Living Classrooms, a foundation that strengthens communities and inspires young people to achieve their potential through hands-on education and job training. A development workforce program for males ages 17-19, Fresh Start uses carpentry as a medium for teaching an array of job and life skills. During the Fresh Start Leadership Project, Fresh Start participants will become the teachers for the day, showing Orioles volunteers how to complete a small woodworking project, giving them the opportunity to practice communication, leadership, organization, and more.

On Thursday, August 23, Orioles staff, along with the Oriole Bird, will volunteer at Moveable Feast. The group will help plant, weed, harvest, and compost the organization's garden plot at the Duncan Street Miracle Garden before delivering food to clients. Moveable Feast is a local nonprofit organization that provides home-delivered, medically-tailored meals to those living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life threatening illnesses.

OriolesREACH Week will continue through the weekend with the 32nd annual OriolesREACH Food & Funds Drive, presented by MASN, Pompeian Olive Oil, and WJZ-TV. From Friday, August 24, through Sunday, August 26, representatives will be stationed at each Oriole Park entry gate to collect non-perishable food items and cash donations for the Maryland Food Bank. The event, hosted by The Orioles Wives, Oriole Advocates, Von Paris Moving and Storage, and the Maryland Food Bank, has raised more than $150,000 and collected nearly 32,000 pounds of food over the past five seasons.