The Cleveland Browns will host their annual Browns Give Back First and Ten Food Drive, benefitting the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, prior to Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Volunteers from the Greater Cleveland Food Bank will begin collecting donations outside of FirstEnergy Stadium when gates open at 11 a.m.
Sugardale, which recently became a proud partner as the official hot dog of the Cleveland Browns, is joining the community initiative as the presenting partner of the Browns Give Back First and Ten Food Drive. As part of its commitment to the event and Northeast Ohio, Sugardale donated 1,260 hams to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank last week and is also providing a $2,500 contribution to kick off Sunday's food drive (photos attached).
Beginning with this weekend's game against Kansas City, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy Sugardale hot dogs at all home games and events at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns and Sugardale launched their partnership on Tuesday, when Browns alumnus RB Kevin Mack greeted and distributed samples to shoppers at the Strongsville Market District Giant Eagle.
Through the generosity of Browns fans, the Browns Give Back First and Ten Food Drive, presented by Sugardale, has helped provide nearly 140,000 meals to Northeast Ohio families in need during the past six years.
This year's Browns Give Back First and Ten Food Drive offers fans the opportunity to support the holiday efforts of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank leading into the 2018 winter months. Prior to entering the stadium, fans with or without tickets are encouraged to drop off non-perishable canned food items – including the Super Six of cereal, vegetables, soup, beef stew, peanut butter and tuna fish – to assist local families in need during the holiday season. Monetary contributions will also be accepted, with each dollar donated being enough to provide four nutritious meals to individuals in the Greater Cleveland area.
Fans who make a donation will receive an official orange #give10 wristband as part of the First and Ten volunteering movement.
On Tuesday, Nov. 20, Browns players, alumni and staff and the Browns Women Organization will#give10 at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank by preparing Thanksgiving meals and packaging food items to be sent to local shelters, food pantries and food sites throughout Northeast Ohio. The gathering is one of many jointly hosted events by the Browns and Greater Cleveland Food Bank, a community partner of the First and Ten campaign, as the groups help fight hunger and ensure families have access to nutritious meals throughout the year, particularly during high times of need like the winter holidays.
About the Cleveland Browns and Browns Give Back:
The Browns Give Back to Northeast Ohio with a commitment to education and youth football while engaging the community through the team's signature First and Ten volunteer movement. For more information, visit www.clevelandbrowns.com/brownsgiveback.
Education – The Cleveland Browns are dedicated to improving the quality of education for students in Northeast Ohio by making investments that keep kids in school every day so they can succeed. The team engages local schools and promotes education in various capacities throughout the year to help identify and remove attendance barriers and support engagement opportunities for students to thrive.
Youth Football – The Cleveland Browns are committed to assisting the development, safety and growth of youth and high school football throughout Northeast Ohio with year-round programming for players, coaches, officials and parents. Through camps, clinics and other initiatives, the Browns' goal is to promote healthy, social, emotional, intellectual and physical development of youth by enhancing opportunities for youth football participation and education.
First and Ten – Launched in June 2014, the Cleveland Browns First and Ten campaign is the team's community program, established to inspire fans to #give10 and help their communities by volunteering for 10 hours each year. Through First and Ten, the Browns are the only NFL club to promote a long-term volunteering program that unifies the team and its entire fan base, with the goal of impacting every individual's city across the globe, as well as the franchise's local community. To date, nearly two million hours of volunteering have been pledged through First and Ten. All Browns fans are encouraged to join the volunteering effort by signing the First and Ten pledge on the team's website and by sharing their stories with #give10.
About Greater Cleveland Food Bank:
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, a community partner of Browns Give Back's First and Ten movement, is the largest hunger relief organization in Northeast Ohio, helping make more than 55 million meals in 2017 available to hungry people in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, Ashland and Richland counties. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank's mission is to ensure that everyone in the community has the nutritious food needed every day through both food distribution and SNAP outreach efforts. For more information, visit www.GreaterClevelandFoodBank.org.
About Sugardale:
For nearly 100 years, Sugardale has been delivering innovative thinking and premium products to leading food service operations, restaurant chains and grocery stores around the globe and around the corner. Founded in 1920, Sugardale has grown from its roots in Northeast Ohio as a regional provider to a nationwide supplier of American-made bacon, ham, hot dogs, deli meats and dry sausage. Sugardale is the No. 1 ranked branded hot dog in the Cleveland market and proud partner of numerous Ohio sports organizations, including the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavs, Canton Charge, Cleveland Indians, Ohio State Buckeyes, Columbus Clippers and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. From the ballpark to the arena, hundreds of thousands of sports fans enjoy Sugardale hot dogs every year while cheering on their favorite teams. For recipes and more, visit Sugardale.com or follow @SugardaleFoods on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.
