Aurora, CO United States, June 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aurora, Colo. (June 14, 2023) – UCHealth, Colorado’s nationally recognized nonprofit health system, will donate $120,000 to Food For Thought Denver after its annual Healthy Swings Charity Home Run Derby at Coors Field earlier this week. Food For Thought Denver is a 100% volunteer-driven organization that distributes food to more than 13,000 Denver area kids, who are eligible for free and reduced lunch programs at school, but often don’t have enough to eat over the weekends.
“We started Food For Thought Denver 11 years ago and I’m happy to say that we have expanded to serving 73 schools,” said Bob Bell, founder of Food For Thought Denver. “We run on the generosity of the Denver community and every single penny we raise goes to the belly of kid.”
NFL players Courtland Sutton and Justin Simmons served as captains and recruited their teammates to participate in Monday's event. The rain prevented the teams from taking the field as planned, but everyone took a turn in the batting cages and had two minutes to make as many hits as they could.
It was a bracket style competition with two players competing against each other for a chance to advance to the next round. Each hit raised $200 and every player had the opportunity to take a swing at one designated “money ball” for a chance to raise up to $5,000. Courtland Sutton was crowned the overall winner among his teammates by raising the most money, but Denver area kids are the biggest winners, as the donation will result in 192,000 meals.
“This event will literally make magic happen for tens of thousands of kids in Denver,” said Bell. “We are grateful to have partnered with UCHealth on this event.”
Anyone who wants to volunteer or donate to Food For Thought Denver can learn more by visiting their website.
About UCHealth
UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. UCHealth includes 30,000 employees, 12 acute-care hospitals and hundreds of physicians across Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska. With University of Colorado Hospital on the CU Anschutz Medical Campus as its academic anchor and the only adult academic medical center in the region, UCHealth is dedicated to providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. Offering more than 150 clinic locations, UCHealth provides extensive community benefits and pushes the boundaries of medicine through advanced treatments and clinical trials, improving health through innovation.
