COVID Relief

COVID RELIEF

ONE TEAM

In mid-March, the 2019.20 NHL season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the Pittsburgh community, our neighbors felt the extreme effects of the pandemic and many struggled to find support. During this critical time, the Penguins players and their families opted to make the following incredible assists.

Sidney Crosby: On May 4, Sidney Crosby donated 100,000 meals to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The meals equated to 120,000 pounds of food distributed across the organization’s 11-county service area in Pennsylvania.

Evgeni Malkin: Through a generous donation from Evgeni Malkin and his wife, Anna, Ronald McDonald House of Pittsburgh was able to receive its entire Wish List for pantry products in addition to warm meals, fun games and special Penguins gifts for the families staying with RMH.

Jake Guentzel: The Milk Shake Factory and Jake Guentzel teamed up on May 6 to thank local nurses on National Nurses Day. A delivery of 59 Penguins chocolates from #59 and The Milk Shake Factory surprised the nurses working at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital and UPMC Passavant.

Jared McCann: Jared McCann, along with his mother Erin, who has been living with multiple sclerosis for 40 years, hosted a virtual happy hour to raise money for Walk MS and the National MS Society. Matt Murray: In April, Matt Murray partnered with Primanti Bros. to open a $5,000 tab for police officers in Pittsburgh.

Kris Letang: On May 8, Kris Letang and his wife Catherine made monetary donations to provide meals to the Students and Families Food Relief Fund and the Knead Community Café, enabling both organizations to support families and children in need.

Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese & Marcus Pettersson: Bryan Rust, Zach Aston-Reese and Marcus Pettersson purchased 500 personal pizzas from Fox’s Pizza Den which were then distributed to children and families in the Hill District and the North Side.

Teddy Blueger, Tristan Jarry, Sam Lafferty & John Marino: Teddy Blueger, Tristan Jarry, Sam Lafferty and John Marino teamed up with Fox’s Pizza Den to donate 1,000 personal pizzas to five community centers, which included Northview Heights Housing, the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania, the Turtle Creek Ambulance Station, the Tarentum Marina and White Lily Baptist Church. Mike Sullivan: On May 5, Mike Sullivan surprised shoppers with free groceries at The Waterfront Giant Eagle and South Hills Market District during designated senior hours. Local senior shoppers were told after gathering their essentials that no payment was necessary at checkout because all costs were paid in advance by Sullivan and his wife Kate. In addition, Mike Sullivan delivered a virtual commencement speech to the class of 2020 to hopefully bring a smile to graduating seniors.

Lady Pens: From funds raised through auctions and cookbook sales, the Lady Pens donated $59,000 to support six local non-profit organizations: Christopher’s Kitchen, Blessings in a Backpack, Beverly’s Birthdays, the National Aviary, Pennies from Heaven and Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Penguins: Through a specialty St. Patrick’s Day auction of player jerseys and autographed pucks, $20,000 was donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank, Rainbow Kitchen and the Salvation Army’s carry-out meal program thanks to all members of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

TOGETHER APART

From monetary support to providing food and supplies needed by our community members, the Penguins organization was eager to lend a helping hand to those in need during the pandemic. A special thank you to our fan base and volunteers who joined us in these efforts.

Donation to the University of Pittsburgh: The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation donated $100,000 from funds raised through the gameday 50/50 Raffle to the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research (CVR). This donation supported the combined efforts of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Pitt Athletics to find a vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19. In total, $800,000 was contributed to Pitt’s CVR.

Donation to UPMC & Highmark Health: Pittsburgh Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle each personally donated $100,000 to assist UPMC and Highmark Health as they continue battling the COVID-19 pandemic. The generous contributions aided the UPMC Children’s Hospital Helpers Fund and the purchase of another mobile COVID-19 testing unit.

Donation of Backpacks: The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation donated 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to students in Allegheny and Somerset Counties who do not have the educational resources necessary to learn from home. Through this donation, 200 backpacks were distributed by Pennsylvania State Police barracks in both Allegheny and Somerset Counties to local families in need and 100 backpacks were distributed by ACH Clear Pathways, a Hill District organization that supports underserved families through after-school programs. In addition, 1,000 stuffed backpacks were distributed to students attending Pittsburgh Public Schools in partnership with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Distribution of Diapers: The Penguins organization teamed up with Global Links and the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank to host a free, drive-up diaper distribution event outside PPG Paints Arena on June 25, which distributed 142,000 diapers to those in need. Distributions of Food: Throughout the pandemic, the Penguins organization conducted food distributions at PPG Paints Arena in partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Donation to 412 Food Rescue: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Aramark donated 2,000 lbs. of perishable food to 412 Food Rescue for distribution to local organizations and neighbors in need.

Donation of Laptops: The Pittsburgh Penguins and Duolingo donated 35 laptop computers to Circles Greater Pittsburgh for distribution to families in our community whose children would not otherwise have access to online learning during school closures due to the pandemic. Support for PPG Paints Arena Workers: The Pittsburgh Penguins organization, Penguins team, Penguins Foundation and Mario Lemieux Foundation came together to ensure that full and part-time arena and service employees at PPG Paints Arena did not lose pay due to the season pause in the spring. In addition, Giant Eagle offered temporary employment to those whose jobs were affected by the community impact of COVID-19.

Support for Essential Workers: Dunkin and the Pittsburgh Penguins partnered to provide donuts to Philips employees and FedEx Ground staff and service provider drivers - two essential groups working hard to assist our community during the pandemic. In addition, Keurig Dr Pepper donated product to area medical staff with the support of the Penguins organization.

Support for Season Ticket Holders: Pittsburgh Penguins season ticket holders received a pair of Penguins masks plus hand sanitizer thanks to Highmark. Further, the Penguins players sent hand-written thank you notes and made phone calls to randomly-selected season ticket holders to brighten their days during the pandemic.