CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Power, along with the Pittsburgh Pirates, have donated $50,000 to the American Red Cross in West Virginia for flood relief efforts following the June 23 storm.
“It’s a great thing that the Pirates and a few of our sponsors and our fans all had this ability to come together and help us put together such a phenomenal amount that we could donate,” said Adam Marco, Power spokesman. “It’s a large amount, but at the same time we know it’s not nearly enough.”
The money was raised during Power games in recent months. Marco said they were able to take advantage of all the homes games they had after the flood.
“With our reach, with our ability and shortly after the flood occurred we had a seven game home stand that allowed us to really reach out to everyone that came to the ballpark,” he said.
The Power sold “Stay Strong West Virginia” T-shirts, sold 50-50 tickets and had several donation drop off points around the ballpark to raise the money, Marco said.
The teams also worked together to collect and donate dog food for the Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association. Several pets had to be rescued and were displaced after the flood. Donations were collected at the ballpark. Players held a dog food drive at PetSmart in Southridge.
“The players wanted to be involved whether it was a personal reason or just because they’re apart of this community,” Marco said. “We were fortunate enough that none of our full time staff members were directly affected by this.”
The June flood destroyed homes, schools and businesses and claimed nearly two dozen lives in West Virginia.