Sharks Foundation's December Recap

December was the Sharks Foundation's Holiday Assist campaign. Throughout the month, the Foundation supported various organizations focused on serving local communities in need of holiday cheer.
The Foundation kicked off the campaign by partnering with
CEFCU
to provide
Alum Rock Counseling Center
with a $10,000
Community Assist Grant
in support of their
Holiday Toy Giveaway program
. The funding sponsored 25 families with gifts from provided wish lists, with members of Team Teal volunteering to support an additional 10 families through out-of-pocket donations.

The event was made possible through a $7,500 Community Assist Grant that the Foundation provided to the USO. Monique August, Executive Director of USO Northern California, reflected that "the partnership with the Sharks was pivotal to assisting them] in bringing cheer to military children and letting them know they are not forgotten this holiday season."
[Click here
to watch the event recap video.

On December 11, the Sharks hosted a Military Appreciation Night during their home game against the Dallas Stars. The Sharks Foundation partnered with
Operation Homefront
to host a
pre-game collection drive
which solicited roughly 545 new toys from Sharks fans to be distributed to youth of military families.
In addition to the donated toys, Operation Homefront also received a $4,730 donation as the game's beneficiary of the
50/50 Raffle
presented by
Cache Creek Casino Resort
. Proceeds generated by the raffle supported their Meals for Military program.
From December 11 to December 13, the Foundation executed a Military Auction which resulted in a $5,000 donation to
Jasper Ridge Farm
to support their Wellness Buddies Veterans program, which serves 1,000 vets each year.
On December 14, the beneficiary of the 50/50 Raffle presented by Cache Creek Casino Resort was
Next Door Solutions
. The $3,930 generated through proceeds from the raffle benefited their Holiday Adopt-A-Family program, providing support to 39 victims of domestic violence and their families.
Beth Williams, Director of Development for Next Door Solutions, said "we were thrilled to partner with the Sharks on this amazing opportunity not only to raise funds to directly support survivors of domestic violence, but to create awareness so that victims that may be in abusive relationships know that help is available free of charge."
As part of their winter service, the Sharks Foundation's
Young Professionals Board
(YPB) participated in a virtual food drive with Second Harvest of Silicon Valley which raised $1,800, with every $1 providing food for two meals.

On December 15, members of the YPB volunteered their time to sort and pack food at Second Harvest's warehouse which would later be distributed to community members in need.
To close the month, the Foundation hosted an auction from December 21 to December 23 which resulted in a $4,000 donation to
Loaves & Fishes Family Kitchen
whose mission is to provide hot and nutritious prepared meals, delivered and served to feed hungry families, children, seniors, veterans, students, and disabled individuals.
In total, the Sharks dedicated $35,160 and impacted over 4,481 lives during the December Holiday Assist campaign.