Pastor Melissa Stephens welcomed a group of patrons to a table on the side of Camp Washington United Church of Christ on Monday afternoon. In a few minutes, it would be time to pass out free meals to the community. It was something she did often, but today was different. Reds pitcher Fernando Cruz stood beside her, ready to serve the community.

“It means everything to give back to the community and to whoever needs it,” Cruz said.

On July 8, Cruz arrived at Washington UCC with a trunk load of produce and snacks from Great American Ball Park as part of a partnership with Last Mile Food Rescue. Every three or four home games, the Reds and Delaware North, the latter of which operates concessions, premium dining and retail services at GABP, donate leftovers from the ballpark back to the community. Monday’s load included nearly 350 pounds of potatoes, sunflower seeds, shredded carrots and more. Those items are then used to prepare meals, such as the ones Cruz and Stephens handed out that afternoon.

“We feed 47,000 people a day, and with 10 games in a row, inevitably we have some leftover food. A lot of our managers are from here in Cincinnati, so it's really great to be able to give back," said Ari Rubin, assistant general manager of Delaware North at Great American Ball Park. "We partnered with Last Mile back in 2021 and it's been a great partnership ever since."

Last Mile Food Rescue’s goal is to save good food and get it to those who need it most. The organization was founded in 2019 and by 2022, it had saved 4 million pounds of excess food from the landfill. In 2023, Great American Ball Park donated more than 16,000 pounds of food that provided 13,333 meals to those in need. Last Mile also partners with companies such as Kroger and United Dairy Farmers to distribute food across the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region.

“In the U.S., we waste about 40% of the food that we produce every year. Meanwhile, in Cincinnati, over a quarter million of our neighbors don't know where their next meal is coming from,” said Aaron Moore, senior manager of donor and agency partnerships and programs at Last Mile Food Rescue. “We've partnered with food providers like Great American Ball Park and Delaware North to fill in that food insecurity gap. We try to be the logistical solutions, so we’re picking up from food donors and we’re dropping off to food pantries and soup kitchens, like Washington United Church of Christ.”

Although the Reds donate all season long, July’s Last Mile donations tie in perfectly with the Reds Country Cares program’s month-long spotlight on hunger and poverty. Each month, Reds Country Cares selects a different topic to support, and Monday marked the first of many activities at Great American Ball Park tied to July’s cause.

Another of those initiatives includes the annual St. Vincent de Paul Strike Out Hunger Food Drive, taking place this year on July 12 and 13. Fans who donate at least three non-perishable food items will receive a ticket voucher good for one of three future Reds games. Collections will be taken from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 2 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at the main Crosley Terrace entrance and the Hall of Fame Breezeway entrance along Joe Nuxhall Way.

Prior to the July 10 game against the Rockies and leading into the food drive that weekend, the Reds recognized five representatives from SVDP for their year-round efforts. And as part of the Reds Country Cares partnership with United Way of Greater Cincinnati, St. Vincent de Paul Vice President of External Relations Kaytlynd Lainhart was presented a $1,000 grant during an on-field ceremony.

Aside from just those two days at the ballpark, fans can always join Cruz, SVDP and Last Mile’s efforts to fight hunger. Those interested in Last Mile Food Rescue can download the organization’s app and become a Food Rescue Hero in less than 90 minutes. The app provides a map of food donors and partner agencies that accept those donations, such as Washington UCC. Without donations from Last Mile and similar organizations, Washington UCC would not be able to provide meals for the community as it has for the past five decades.

“Our mission is to work with our neighbors here in camp Washington to improve lives physically, spiritually and emotionally. Food is so important for hungry people to improve their lives. We take the abundance of food we receive from Last Mile, and we pass it on. Last month, we served 12,050 lunches, and much of that was a benefit of Last Mile that brings us food from bakeries, from caterers and we just pass it on. And folks are very grateful for it,” Stephens said.

SVDP accepts donations on its website and is always looking for more volunteers. Additional info on the nonprofit can be found at svdpcincinnati.org.

And for more information on Reds Country Cares and July’s efforts to fight poverty and hunger, please visit reds.com/cares.