SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes will celebrate Pledge 74 Night when the team takes on Houston Dynamo FC during the next home match at PayPal Park on Saturday, July 24, presented by Coca-Cola. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
Pledge 74 was launched in July 2020 as the San Jose Earthquakes' response to food insecurity. The Quakes have been community-focused since 1974 and are taking a firm stance against hunger in San Jose and the greater Bay Area. Through a club-wide effort, the Quakes have their sights set on raising $740,000, as well as increasing awareness and volunteerism for this ever-present and growing problem. To date, the Quakes family has supported the initiative with more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service and $300,000 of monetary and in-kind donations.
The Earthquakes are hosting a volunteer event on July 17 supporting Valley Verde. The local non-profit promotes healthy eating and provides food access and micro-entrepreneurship training to low-income families of San Jose/Silicon Valley. Those interested in volunteering can sign up here and will receive a ticket to the July 24 match as a token of the club’s appreciation.Â
On July 24, the Quakes will welcome several partner organizations to PayPal Park to engage with fans about awareness, volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved in the fight against food insecurity in the South Bay. Featured partners include Hunger at Home, Martha’s Kitchen, African American Community Service Agency (AACSA), Valley Verde, Veggielution, YMCA, the UFW Foundation, and others.
One dollar from each ticket sold will go to the Pledge 74 initiative, where funds will support a number of programs, including a monthly food distribution at PayPal Park, infant and early childhood nutrition, support to farm workers, and assisting local food justice organizations teaching and operating in culturally specific San Jose-based farming.Â
Starting in 2021, PG&E and the Quakes Foundation will begin an annual Pledge 74 granting initiative, donating approximately $40,000 per year towards targeted community advocates advancing food security, food sovereignty, and food justice in San Jose and Santa Clara County.
Donations of all sizes are appreciated and can be made here.
