The Orioles today announced a three-year initiative with CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in support of The Food Project, a Baltimore organization that brings cooking, farming, restaurant skills, job opportunities, sustainable food sources, mentorship, and hope to the youth of Southwest Baltimore. The Orioles and CareFirst have pledged funds over the next three years to provide jobs within The Food Project. The positions that will be funded include an operations manager, kitchen manager, meal deliverer, and Seedy Nutty Granola production manager.
“We are thrilled to join forces with CareFirst to support a wonderful local organization in The Food Project,” said JENNIFER GRONDAHL, Orioles Senior Vice President, Community Development & Communications. “We were first introduced to The Food Project in 2019 and have been working with them ever since. Their Seedy Nutty Granola is a popular food item purchased in our ballpark, and we were fortunate to employ at-risk youth from their program in our ballpark last season. This new initiative is just an extension of what has already been a years-long positive relationship, and we are looking forward to getting more people involved to continue to give back to our Baltimore community.”
The Orioles and The Food Project have worked together for the past several years, including having members of The Food Project work at the Camden Franks station at Oriole Park throughout the 2021 season, with part of the proceeds going back to the organization. The Orioles also sell The Food Project’s Seedy Nutty Granola at the Birdland Market to generate funds to support the program.
“CareFirst has worked with the Orioles for years and is excited to start our work with The Food Project,” said DESTINY-SIMONE RAMJOHN, Vice President of Community Health and Social Impact for CareFirst. “The Food Project addresses numerous social determinants of health, or the non-clinical factors impacting individual and community health outcomes, such as food security and economic stability. By working together to address these factors, The Food Project, CareFirst and the Orioles will remove barriers and accelerate good health in our communities.”
Last year, the Food Project lost one of their members, 19-year-old Troy Rush, when he was tragically and senselessly shot and killed. Rush was an employee at Oriole Park. He left behind numerous family and friends, including a 1-year-old daughter and a son on the way. Orioles employees came together to support the Troy Rush Fund, helping to cover the cost of his funeral and provide support to his family.
The Food Project was the Orioles Team Charity in 2021, helping to raise awareness of the organization throughout the community. As part of the new partnership, The Food Project will be the beneficiary of the club’s Giving Tuesday fundraiser in November. Members of the Orioles employee volunteer group, Orange and Black Gives Back, as well as employees from CareFirst, will also complete a volunteer project with The Food Project later this year.
For more information on The Food Project, visit TheFoodProject.org.
