The Miami Dolphins’ organization has not been timid as it pertains to charitable acts and their efforts to create a better community — one in which the team is viewed as a staple and positive contributor. In offseasons past, the Dolphins would consistently be a team that hosts guests at the facilities or visits people in the community — for events like the Dolphins Cancer Challenge, the Special Olympics, mattress donations and much, much more.
But this offseason isn’t your typical offseason — the coronavirus pandemic forced endless communities into shutdown mode and has promoted isolation in order to protect the health and well-being of the community. It’s resulted in a lot of changed plans.
But the Dolphins themselves recently called an audible and, with aiding the South Florida community from the economic downturn that came hand in hand with a national shutdown, the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program was born.
Their stated mission is simple:
The Miami Dolphins organization is committed to combating food insecurity and providing employment opportunities as the primary step in rebuilding our communities from the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Miami Dolphins Foundation Food Relief Program, Miami Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross and the Miami Dolphins organization have committed $2 million to fund a minimum of 1,000 meals each weekday for up to one year to assist those in need of hunger relief and with food insecurities.
This week marks the second week of donations for the Dolphins; and the early returns indicate it is the latest great success for the team’s charitable efforts. Dolphins Vice Chairman, President and CEO Tom Garfinkel shared that the Dolphins have received a $1M donation from the Lennar Foundation to advance the cause.
On behalf of the @MiamiDolphins I’d like to thank Stuart Miller, Marshall Ames, and the @lennar Foundation for their generous gift of $1 million – we can now grow our 1,000 meals a day for a year commitment and feed more people. Please go to https://t.co/QVDXNZbOH2 to donate pic.twitter.com/fv7ZxeYhBA
— Tom Garfinkel (@TomGarfinkel) June 9, 2020
The Dolphins have, in addition to the funds pledged by team owner Stephen Ross to get the effort started and the donation from Lennar, raised an additional $150,000 in donations as well — and each dollar of donations up to $1 million will be matched by Ross.