Watch LIVE: Rox holding 'Stay at Home Opener'
DENVER -- The Rockies, AT&T Sports Net, Rockies.com and Rockies social media accounts are satisfying fans’ hunger for baseball and raising money for various food charities in Colorado and Wyoming through a “Stay at Home Opener” celebration today, which would have been the day of the home opener.
AT&T SportsNet and Rockies.com are simulating the home-opener experience for fans live with a presentation that can be streamed in the video above. The special “virtual broadcast” is comprised of archived inning-by-inning re-airs of the best and most memorable innings in Rockies home-opener history. Colorado social media will provide unique second-screen content throughout the game.
Current and past Rockies players and coaches are introducing these memorable moments. Among the benefits for fans are virtual pregame ceremonies, between-innings features, a seventh-inning stretch and more.
Throughout the day, as the centerpiece to the special programming, the Colorado Rockies Baseball Club Foundation will host an online fundraiser called “Feed the Rockies.”
Throughout the virtual game, fans are invited to donate at Rockies.com/FeedTheRockies. The Rockies Foundation will be matching all donations up to $300,000, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Community Food Share, Food Bank for Larimer County, Food Bank of the Rockies and Weld Food Bank. All of these entities serve people throughout Colorado and Wyoming.
“These are unprecedented times for food banks across Colorado and Wyoming,” Food Bank of the Rockies president and CEO Erin Pulling said in the team’s official announcement. “We are seeing a doubling in those who need food assistance as a result of COVID-19, and we are proud to have the Colorado Rockies’ leadership step up to contribute funds to aid in our response.
“Food banks across Colorado and Wyoming are shifting their operations to better serve the needs of our community, including drive-through mobile pantries and innovative partnerships. We are able to help our neighbors receive food at these difficult times, thanks to community support from organizations like the Colorado Rockies Foundation.”
According to the announcement, Food Bank of the Rockies is the largest private hunger-relief organization in Colorado and Wyoming. They are part of the Feeding America network, and they partner with more than 600 local pantries in 30 counties across the two states. In normal times, they distribute enough food to provide 155,000 meals in a single day, with nearly half of this food going to children. Due to the impact of the coronavirus, Food Bank of the Rockies is expecting to feed double its number of typical clients for at least the next three to six months.
“This event was a culmination of several different ideas and desires swirling around us right now,” Rockies owner, chairman and CEO Dick Monfort said in the announcement. “We wanted to extend our Foundation’s assistance in one of the most critical areas of need right now, and that’s in making sure people can get access to food for themselves and their families.
“We wanted our fans to have some sort of Opening Day here in Colorado, because it is always such a holiday for our city, state and region, and we wanted to make it a safe celebration for all. So the Rockies Foundation is very pleased to partner with the food banks in Colorado and Wyoming for this special ‘Stay at Home Opener’ Feed the Rockies fundraising event, as we team up to help our community and enjoy some baseball while we’re at it.”