PIFBS Disaster Relief Fund

Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, and Florence were devastating, leaving in their wakes destruction, loss, and heartbreak.  The tragic fire in California destroyed entire towns, homes, and schools.  In times of tragedy, children are the most affected, often lost in the mix with adults bearing the stresses, which ultimately impacts the entire family.  Research demonstrates that children in times of tragedy, having positive outlets and constants facilitates the return to normalcy.  Baseball/softball is a vehicle that can help restore a sense of normalcy amidst the chaos. Pitch In For Baseball & Softball ensures that after basic needs are met, that kids have an opportunity to play.  As families work to rebuild, baseball and softball programs can provide the much needed distraction from loss and sadness and give parents momentary reprieve. 

Following Hurricane Maria, Pitch In For Baseball & Softball reached out to partners to offer assistance and begin to gather information to assess the need.  We found that there are more than 10,000 children who were previously registered in an organized baseball/softball program, including schools and national affiliations.  Despite the fact that much of the country still does not have electricity and Hurricane Maria destroyed most fields leaving in its wake mud and grass, the will to start playing ball and “get back to normal” as soon as possible is front and center.  Pitch In For Baseball & Softball was able to secure resources to rebuild baseball and softball in Puerto Rico.  In the larger program scope, Pitch In For Baseball & Softball outfitted 175 baseball and 100% of the softball teams on the island.

This project marked our largest single project coordinated away from our warehouse was also completed in 2018. In April of last year, PIFBS staff traveled to San Juan to help sort and pack team kits of equipment to assist Little League programs on the island who had been impacted by Hurricane Maria.  This experience epitomized our lean organization’s ability to be agile and creative in making its impact.  Since that project, PIFBS learned that there are still 75+ teams still struggling to replace lost equipment.  PIFBS returned to Puerto Rico to do a Phase II and plans to again return in spring 2020 to continue to help groups rebuild.