In an effort to give back to children of the Chester Upland school district, Philadelphia Union and Sons of Ben recently combined their resources to collect school supplies prior to the home match against Montreal.
Stations were set up on the PPL Park Plaza along with the Sons of Ben tailgate to give fans the opportunity to donate school supplies. Backpacks, notebooks, pencils, crayons, and binders were only some of the items collected in a very successful effort.
Back to school is not the only drive the Union have been a part of. Since the inception of the club, their have been numerous coat drives as well.
This season, There will be a SEPA Hall of Fame coat drive held prior to the Union’s next two home games against Toronto FC (Oct. 5) and Sporting KC on Oct. 26.
In terms of the successful school drive, the Sons of Ben played the leading role in the day’s efforts to give back to the surrounding community.
The Union and their avid supporters group successfully used game day to facilitate the initiative as this year’s donations exceeded the amount of the two previous school supplies drives.
“We used the power of game day and the promotions that we had to collect all the school supplies,” said Leah Moore, Manager of the Union's Business Development and Foundation. “We had the help of our supporters, the Sons of Ben, who really were the main force in getting all the different supplies.”
The school supplies drive, which was held for the third straight year at PPL Park, is part of an ongoing initiative by the Union and the Sons of Ben and has continued to gain success.
“It is a great opportunity to rally around a cause and give back to the community that we live in,” Rob Smith, Vice President of Soccer Development and Relations, said.
Don't forget to bring your unused coats to the Union's final two regular season matches on Oct. 5 (Toronto FC) and Oct. 26 (Sporting Kansas City)!
For more information on both the school supplies and upcoming coat drive, send email to foundation@philadelphiaunion.com
