Mets Community Insider

New York Mets Shortstop Francisco Lindor has committed to educating youth on the importance of dental hygiene one smile at a time, through his new Smile Tuesdays program.

The mission of Smile Tuesdays with Francisco Lindor is to promote dental hygiene, maintaining a routine, and leading a healthy lifestyle. During each visit, guests will have a chance to meet Lindor, learn about his routines and career, and attend a Mets game.

Ahead of the game against the Marlins, on Tuesday, June 11, Lindor invited 12 children from Flushing YMCA to come and learn about his story, instill lifelong habits, take photos, and receive autographs. The children and their chaperones also enjoyed the Mets game following the visit.

In celebration of Father’s Day, on Thursday, June 13, Mets Outfielder Brandon Nimmo hosted members from the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Fatherhood Initiative, as part of his Nimmo’s 9 program.

DYCD’s Fatherhood Initiative helps fathers reconnect with their children and develop essential parenting skills by helping each participant increase engagement and responsibility in his relationship with his children and provide material and financial support to his children.

The fathers met Nimmo to share their stories, take photos, and receive autographs.

On Thursday, June 13, Mets Pitcher Jose Quintana hosted pediatric patients from the Northwell Health system at Citi Field. This was the debut of his Quintana’s Crew program.

Each month, Quintana will invite pediatric patients from Northwell Health and their families for a special visit to Citi Field. During this inaugural visit, guests toured the dugout and control room, received Mets goody bags from Quintana, and enjoyed lunch in the Clover Club. Each child also had the special experience of hearing their name announced over the Citi Field sound system as they walked out of the Mets dugout and onto the field for introductions.

The New York Mets, in partnership with SNY, hosted 8-year-old Shane McCooe as part of SNY Dream Day, presented by TOYOTA.

Shane, also known as Shane the Brave, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in kindergarten and has been in ongoing treatment, with his second phase of treatment expected to be completed in Spring of 2025. Despite these health challenges, Shane has shown resilience while maintaining a positive mindset throughout.

On Saturday, June 15, Shane and his family toured Citi Field, visited the Mets dugout, watched batting practice, and received Mets gifts. Shane also toured the Mets Clubhouse, met his favorite players including Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Francisco Lindor, had a catch and threw the honorary first pitch to Sean Reid-Foley, and announced “Play Ball” on Citi Vision to start the game.

To kick off Major League Baseball’s PLAY BALL Weekend, the Mets invited students from P.S. 19Q and P.S. 307Q The Pioneer Academy for a round robin wiffle ball tournament at Citi Field.

The PLAY BALL initiative is baseball’s collective effort to encourage young people and communities to engage in baseball or softball related activities. The primary focus of PLAY BALL Weekend is to connect with youth from different backgrounds, while closing equity gaps to accessing the game and encouraging children, families, and communities to play ball all summer long.

The Mets will host the annual Summer Food Drive, presented by 1 Point Five, during the Mets vs. Atlanta Braves Series on Friday, July 26 (from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, July 27 (from 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.) at Citi Field. The food drive beneficiary will be New York Common Pantry.

Fans who donate at least 10 non-perishable items will receive a voucher redeemable for two tickets to select Mets regular season home games in 2024.

Collection points will be set up at the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. Fans must make their donation at the collection points outside of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda before entering Citi Field. Please note that there will not be collection points inside of the stadium.

For more information and to see a complete list of foods needed, please visit: Mets.com/FoodDrive.

New York Common Pantry works toward the reduction of hunger and food insecurity through an array of programs that function to establish long-term independence for those they serve. Their whole-person approach includes services such as fresh food pantry packages, hot meals, supplemental food for seniors, connection to resources and live healthy programs