TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Ballplayers Distribute Dinners To 200 Families

ADVERTISEMENT

By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 24, 2007

Updated: 11/22/2007 02:33 am

DOVER - Baseball is important, but giving back is imperative.

It's a theory the founders of Bullets Baseball instill in the young men they work with every week.

"I did this when I was 12 years old in New York," said league President Sal Giardina. "What we're trying to do here is teach life lessons and how to give back to the community."

Only a few of the boys playing on the 16 teams in the traveling league will pursue a career in baseball, he said. But they will all be part of a world with many needs.

To help drive home that point, dozens of the boys and their families converged on Dover Park on Sunday to bag up Thanksgiving dinners for 200 migrant families. As soon as church was over at the nearby First Baptist Church of Dover, families lined up along the roadside to collect their meals.

"These people pretty much have nothing," said 13-year-old Marcus Anderson of Brandon. "We stay home on Thanksgiving, and my grandparents come and visit. These people don't have a lot of money, and it's just really nice to be able to give something to them."

Most of the people picking up meals are migrant farm workers, and many are out of work because there is no planting or harvesting to do, said Martina Garcia, whose son, Sergio Garcia, 12, plays in the Bullets league.

"It's a lot of help for her to get food today," Garcia said, interpreting for Juana Lozana of Plant City, who will feed three at her Thanksgiving table.
Macaria Hernandez, who lives in San Jose Mission in Dover, will feed six at her table. She, too, is a farm field laborer.

"It's hard to get food right now," Victoria Cruz of Dover told Garcia. "It's hard to get food right now because there is no job, and I have to pay rent."

Before the migrant families arrived, Bullets players lined up and walked down a line of trucks filled with items for each meal. They went from tailgate to tailgate, filling bags with frozen turkeys, pies, cranberry sauce, rolls, mashed potato mix and Stovetop stuffing.

"This is all about helping out others and giving back to the community," said Connor Ellis, 13, of Valrico.

"This is my first year with the Bullets and my first year doing this," said Josh Mejia, 11, also of Valrico. "I like helping the needy and giving them a dinner."

Bo Hogan, 13, of Riverview, and some of his teammates from the Rangers traveling league lent a hand to the Bullets.

"Our coach wanted us to get involved in community service like the Bullets are doing, so we're here to help," Bo said.

"It makes you feel good inside," added Rangers teammate Alex Rodriguez, 13, of Apollo Beach. For Thanksgiving, Alex typically goes to his grandmother's home, where his family gathers with relatives from Miami, Georgia and North Carolina.

"I know I'm helping someone out that needs it," said 13-year-old Adam Ramos of Riverview. "That's why I like it."

"This is just one of our events," Giardina said. "We also do a Christmas outreach and a marathon game," both of which benefit charity. Each team member pays a contribution for outreach projects when he joins the league, and teams do some independent fundraising to pay for the holiday programs.

"We've doubled the number from last year," Giardina said, explaining that last year the league provided Thanksgiving meals for 100 families. "We've really come together as an organization."

The Bullets also plan to distribute Christmas dinners to 100 needy families in the area. The team works in conjunction with First Baptist Church of Dover, which provides names of families in need.

Last year, the league purchased and distributed Christmas gifts and prepared lunch and holiday sweets for 100 needy children in the Dover area. Giardina and Mike Lancaster founded the Bullets as an 11-and-under team in 1998, when their sons, Carmine Giardina and Nick Lancaster, fit into that age group.

The organization consists of 16 teams with players ranging from age 8 to 18.

To learn about the league, go to www.bulletsbaseball .com.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT