Athletics Nation - Lemons into lemonade: Benefiting Alameda County Community Food BankAn SB Nation blog for Oakland Athletics fanshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47025/an-fave.png2014-06-24T07:00:07-07:00http://www.athleticsnation.com/rss/stream/56012532014-06-24T07:00:07-07:002014-06-24T07:00:07-07:00$5,864.94 for Alameda County Community Food Bank
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<img alt="FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DaNzH0QhbPuOEG5FIWFuoWaDhOE=/0x260:2667x2038/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34724085/20140619_pjc_ax5_381.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD | Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p><i>You can still give to <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">Alameda County Community Food Bank today</a>.</i></p>
<h3>Monday morning</h3>
<p>On Monday, <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/6/23/5833062/lemons-into-lemonade-benefitting-alameda-county-community-food-bank-jim-elizabeth-johnson">Athletics Nation began a campaign to benefit Alameda County Community Food Bank</a>. We started this in response to <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-reliever-Cook-s-problems-seem-to-be-fixed-5570362.php">some ugliness directed toward Jim Johnson's wife</a>, Elizabeth, while she was helping the A's collect canned food and donations for the Food Bank, as reported by the <i>San Francisco Chronicle's</i> Susan Slusser. It was a sort of ugliness that deserves our maximum opprobrium. But rather than wring out hands about how terrible these wrong-doers were, however, our community campaigned to support the cause Elizabeth Johnson just wanted to help, and this community has a lot it can be proud of.</p>
<p>We set an initial goal of $500, not really knowing how the campaign would go, and happy to raise any amount. As the donations quickly piled up in the early going, however, we raised our goal from $500 to $1,000, and then we realized that we needed to jump our goal number way up with Twitter support coming in from the likes of</p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<ul>
<li>Former MLB Fan Cave dweller <a href="https://twitter.com/Shakabrodie" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Benjamin Christensen (@Shakabrodie)</a>,</li>
<li>The aforementioned <a href="https://twitter.com/susanslusser" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Susan Slusser (@susanslusser)</a>,</li>
<li>Sean Doolittle's girlfriend <a href="https://twitter.com/EireannDolan" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Eireann Dolan (@EireannDolan)</a>,</li>
<li>ESPN Senior Baseball Writer <a href="https://twitter.com/keithlaw" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Keith Law (@keithlaw)</a> (thank you <b style="line-height: 16px;">cerpy </b>for alerting him and through him his 407K+ followers),</li>
<li>Jesse Chavez's wife <a href="https://twitter.com/cc43_chavez" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Crystal (@cc43_chavez)</a>,</li>
<li>Eric Sogard's wife <a href="https://twitter.com/KayceeSogard" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Kaycee (@KayceeSogard)</a>,</li>
<li>mlb.com Oakland A's beat writer <a href="https://twitter.com/JaneMLB" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Jane Lee (@JaneMLB)</a>,</li>
<li>Weekday evening A's Talk, Dugout Show, and 95.7 the Game host <a href="https://twitter.com/TroyClardy" style="line-height: 16px; background-color: #ffffff;">Troy Clardy (@TroyClardy)</a>, and</li>
<li>Countless others that extended our campaign through social media beyond the bounds of our regular visitors.</li>
</ul>
<p>Thank you to all of them for helping make this campaign so successful.</p>
<h3>Pick a number, hit a number</h3>
<p>But what amount to choose? Nico, in honor of <span>Jim Johnson</span>, picked $4,545, his number twice. At 5:22 pm, someone (Amanda McCarthy? Cindi?) cheekily pushed our total to a triple Johnson:</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4658667/Screenshot_2014-06-23_17.18.48.png"><img src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4658667/Screenshot_2014-06-23_17.18.48_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Screenshot_2014-06-23_17.18.48_medium"></a> <br id="1403588740345"></p>
<p>After some celebrations, however, we weren't done. Further tweets were sent out encouraging others to still give. We asked the reddit community at <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/OaklandAthletics/">/r/OaklandAthletics</a> to give what they could, but we wanted a nice solid number for our own community by the end of the night. Around 9:45, with AN's separate total hanging a stubborn $5.65 short of exactly $5,000, Nico pleaded:</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4659449/Screenshot_2014-06-23_23.57.37.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Screenshot_2014-06-23_23.57.37_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4659449/Screenshot_2014-06-23_23.57.37_medium.png"></a> <br id="1403593075125"></p>
<p>Someone answered his prayer, leaving us with this neat summary:</p>
<p><a target="_blank" href="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4659393/Screenshot_2014-06-23_21.50.27.png"><img src="http://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/assets/4659393/Screenshot_2014-06-23_21.50.27_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Screenshot_2014-06-23_21.50.27_medium"></a> <br id="1403589159689"></p>
<h3>Plaudits</h3>
<p>The number has jumped since then, and as of midnight, our campaign raised <b>$5,864.94 </b>from 128 donations, for an average gift of <b>$45</b>.82, or Jim Johnson and a <span>Jed Lowrie</span> and a <span>Cliff Pennington</span>. Sean Doolittle's girlfriend, Eireann Dolan, let us know that Elizabeth Johnson and the rest of the A's wives and girlfriends were all thrilled. You can read Elizabeth's <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/6/23/5833062/lemons-into-lemonade-benefitting-alameda-county-community-food-bank-jim-elizabeth-johnson#pgh/17/3587.9375">message to us in yesterday's post</a>.</p>
<p>Not only did 95.7 the Game host Troy Clardy offer some Twitter support, he also lauded our community during his Monday night show in a way that completely reflects my own feelings on the good work we've done here. <a href="http://media.957thegame.com/a/93524236/the-troy-clardy-show-6-23-14-hour-4.htm">Listen at this link (auto-plays, skip ahead to 25:20)</a>, and here are some selected quotes:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I'm glad to report that in the midst of this ugliness, someone saw fit to do something right and do something good. And I've always said that you're either part of the problem or you're part of the solution. And I always like it when people decide to be part of the solution and to make things better.</p>
<p>So I give a little shout out to the Athletics Nation blog because they heard about the story. And what they decided to do was to, [considering] Elizabeth Johnson was collecting donations for the Alameda County Community Food Bank . . . what athleticsnation.com decided to do was to start a virtual food drive. . . . Athleticsnation.com decided to make it right. Not only did they reach their total, they surpassed it, they surpassed the goal. . . .</p>
<p>So major credit to Athletics Nation, major credit to all those of you who chipped in. . . .</p>
<p>[I]t is truly englightening when people turn a negative story into a true positive, not just for themselves and have good intentions doing it, but also make people's lives better in the process. . . . I'm glad that someone somewhere out there decided to take the initative and turn this into a true positive. A major positive. . . .</p>
<p>Big ups to Athletics Nation. Congratulations to those guys, and major congratulations to all those who actually put a happy ending on this story. Kinda restores my faith in humanity a little bit.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You did this, everyone. Whether you could give $45.45, $4.50, or even a retweet, you helped a lot of people in need this week. I've never been prouder to be a part of this community. Thank you.</p>
<p><i>You can still give to <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">Alameda County Community Food Bank today</a> through the <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">Virtual Food Drive</a>, or you can visit the Coliseum during Wednesday home games and bring in at least five cans of food or $5 to receive a two-for-one plaza level ticket voucher.</i></p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/6/24/5836928/you-raised-5864-94-for-alameda-county-community-food-bank-yesterday-jim-elizabeth-johnsonJeremy F. Koo2014-06-23T07:00:11-07:002014-06-23T07:00:11-07:00$4,545.45, and then some
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<img alt="Ground hunger into a double play." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ped5p6XtPiWz5z179jXGRyc6B4w=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34673823/20140613_rnb_ax5_150.JPG.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Ground hunger into a double play. | Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We want to turn an ugly incident into something good. Donate to Alameda County Community Food Bank online today by clicking the link below this summary, or bring canned food items or cash to Wednesday home games at the Coliseum.</p> <p><i>Give to <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">Alameda County Community Food Bank today (link)</a>.</i></p>
<p>Susan Slusser of the <i>San Francisco Chronicle</i> <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/athletics/article/A-s-reliever-Cook-s-problems-seem-to-be-fixed-5570362.php">reported after Saturday's game</a> that <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Athletics</a> pitcher <span>Jim Johnson's</span> wife, Elizabeth, was "subjected to boos and insults while helping at a charity food drive Wednesday at the Coliseum." Obviously, subjecting a player's family to such boorish behavior is completely out of line and does not reflect what I feel the Athletics fan base is about.</p>
<p>However, rather than subject you to a missive about why this bad thing was bad, we at Athletics Nation would like to take the opportunity, as an Athletics fan community, to turn this sour event into something sweet for the very people Elizabeth Johnson was helping out. To turn lemons into lemonade, to coin a phrase.</p>
<h3>Bring canned food or money to a Wednesday home game</h3>
<p>Elizabeth Johnson was helping the A's collect donations for <a href="http://www.accfb.org/">Alameda County Community Food Bank</a>, a nonprofit organization that is "the hub of a vast collection and distribution network that provides food for 240 nonprofit agencies in Alameda County. In 2012, the Food Bank distributed 23.2 million pounds of food, 53% of it fresh fruits and vegetables." The food bank serves 49,000 people, including 21,000 children and teens, each week through its member agencies.</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QiHEVSjGVRg" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p>On Wednesday home games for the rest of the regular season, fans can bring five food items or donate $5 and receive a 2-for-1 plaza level ticket voucher for a future home game. Since 2008 the A's have collected over 8,000 pounds of food and raised $20,000 for the Food Bank, according to this month's<a href="http://athletics.mlb.com/oak/community/report.jsp?loc=june"> A's Community Report</a>.</p>
<h3>Donate to the Food Bank through our virtual food drive</h3>
<p>Not everyone can make it to Wednesday games, so we're starting what the Food Bank calls a "virtual food drive" where you can make a donation that helps the Food Bank even more than a can of food does. $1 given to the Food Bank turns into approximately $4 worth of food because of the Food Bank's bulk purchasing power. By <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">visiting our campaign home page (link)</a>, and clicking the "shop/donate" button, you'll be able to see just how far your dollar will go, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>$10.53 to buy 24 8-oz 1% milk boxes that retail for $36.72</span></li>
<li><span>$30.00 to transport 300 pounds of donated fresh produce that would retail for $457.06, or</span></li>
<li><span>$80.00 to buy 20 family meals that would retail for $367.80.</span></li>
</ul>
<p>You can "buy in bulk" or choose your amount to donate. Whether it's a tax-deductible donation of $5 or $100, every little bit helps to ensure no one in Alameda County goes hungry. We've set a goal of <strike>$500</strike> <strike>$1,000</strike> $4,545 (Jim Johnson's number twice), but we hope our estimate of an appropriate goal is wildly short of what the Athletics Nation community can do. We'll update you on our progress as the season moves along.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE (5:22 PM)</b></p>
<p><a href="http://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/assets/4658667/Screenshot_2014-06-23_17.18.48.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Screenshot_2014-06-23_17.18.48_medium" class="photo" src="http://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/assets/4658667/Screenshot_2014-06-23_17.18.48_medium.png"></a> <br id="1403570128215"></p>
<p><b>We did it! That's a Jim Johnson triple play there! Of course, <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">you can continue to give</a>, but this will be it for the updates to this post. Thank you everyone!</b></p>
<p><b>UPDATE (4:30 PM) - We're at $3,839.92, only $660.08 from reaching our goal of $4,545 today! See the additional update below our thank yous for a message from Elizabeth Johnson.</b></p>
<p><b>UPDATE (10:20 AM) - Alright let's do this. We're up to $1,084.39, so let's have some fun with this. We're going for a Jim Johnson double play. Let's raise his number twice. New goal: $4,545!</b></p>
<p><b>UPDATE (9:20 AM) - We're happy to be wrong. We're already over $400 in donations to Alameda County Community Food Bank, and our campaign isn't even 3 hours old! We're going to try to stretch for $1,000. Hope we're still underestimating here.</b></p>
<p>For more information about the Food Bank's programs, including volunteer opportunities in their warehouse and Emergency Food Help Line at Oakland International Airport, visit <a href="http://www.accfb.org">www.accfb.org</a>.</p>
<h3>Thank you</h3>
<p>Thank you Elizabeth Johnson and the rest of the A's player families and A's community relations volunteers and staff for their efforts to help Alameda County Community Food Bank. We'd also like to thank frequent commenter <b>zuma</b> for the wonderful suggestion of getting something like this started.</p>
<p>Finally, we'd like to thank everyone who contributes to Athletics Nation, whether it's as a lurker, commenter, moderator, or writer. Whether or not you're in a position to give at the Coliseum at Wednesday home games or <a href="https://www.vfd-accfb.org/grouphome.aspx?ID=892">online through the virtual food drive</a>, thank you for making Athletics Nation a community we all can be proud to be a part of.</p>
<h3>Update: A message from Elizabeth Johnson and Eireann Dolan (4:30 pm)</h3>
<p>A little while ago, Eireann Dolan, <span>Sean Doolittle</span>'s girlfriend, forwarded me these remarks from Elizabeth Johnson, who is absolutely thrilled with the response to our campaign:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I just want to say that everyone wants Jim to perform well and have a successful year. He's the hardest worker I know, one of the first guys to the field everyday and one of the last to leave. He always gives it his best and wants to do better for the fans. Jim won't give up and he will be back! Go A's!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Eireann adds that herself and the rest of the A's wives and girlfriends are all thrilled by our performance, and that we've raised more money that they did last Wednesday! We're standing at $3,839.92 with help from our members and from our friends at <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/OaklandAthletics/comments/28w5kn/lemons_into_lemonade_benefiting_alameda_county/">Reddit's /r/OaklandAthletics</a>. We're only $660.08 from reaching our goal of $4,545 today! Let's do this A's fans!</p>
https://www.athleticsnation.com/2014/6/23/5833062/lemons-into-lemonade-benefitting-alameda-county-community-food-bank-jim-elizabeth-johnsonJeremy F. Koo