SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The Padres kicked off their series of holiday events Monday by distributing 1,000 Thanksgiving meals, including turkeys.
“Everybody seems pretty pumped to get some good thanksgiving food,” Padres pitcher Tom Cosgrove told ABC 10News. “This way you feel like you get to be part of somebody’s family dinner. It feels like it’s something that’s important and that people can appreciate.”
Selected by organizations including the USO and San Diego Food Bank, eligible recipients received a timed ticket to arrive in a parking lot next to Petco Park. It only took a couple minutes from start to finish, with volunteers loading up the recipients car with food. Several Padres alumni and front office members pitched in to help out.
“Just a great way to say thank you to the men and women who serve,” said team broadcaster Mark Grant.
Ending hunger in San Diego is a cause that former Padres All-Star Mark Loretta has worked on for years. “Basic human needs are so important, whether it’s shelter, food, water, that type of thing. If you don’t have that, it’s really hard to think about other things,” he said. Loretta will once again team with ABC 10 as part of the annual Month of a Million Meals telethon on Giving Tuesday.
