CLEMENTE SERVICE DAY

Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day

In December 1972, Pittsburgh Pirate legend Roberto Clemente died in a plane crash while attempting to deliver relief supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. To honor his heroism, Major League Baseball named its highest award for humanitarian and community service the Roberto Clemente Award. The Bethesda Big Train retired #21 in honor of Roberto Clemente in 2009 and it is our plan to honor Clemente each summer through a day of service that reflects .

In July, over seventy Big Train players, staff, interns, and fans volunteered more than 100 hours at seven community nonprofits across Montgomery County for the Big Train's First Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day:

Interfaith Works in downtown Silver Spring (www.iworksmc.org)
Leveling the Playing Field in Silver Spring (www.levelingtheplayingfield.org)
Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg (www.mannafood.org)
Rainbow Community Development Center in Silver Spring (www.rainbowcdc.org)
Shepherd’s Table in downtown Silver Spring (www.shepherdstable.org)
National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda (www.nccf-cares.org)
Button Farm in Germantown (www.buttonfarm.org)

Interfaith Works	Leveling the Playing Field

Organized storage space for IW's emergency shelter and employment programs at Progress Place in Silver Spring.	Sorted donated sports equipment to expand access and equity in youth sports at their headquarters in Silver Spring.

Manna Food Center	Rainbow Community Development Center

Sorted food for distribution to those in need across the county at their headquarters in Gaithersburg.	Bagged fresh produce and stocked carts for neighbors in need at their location in Silver Spring.

Shepherd's Table	National Center for Children and Families

Prepped, served, and cleaned up after the regular weekend brunch for people in need at Progress Place in Silver Spring.	Beautified the playground area at the Greentree Shelter for homeless families in Bethesda.

Button Farm

Refurbished information signs at the living history farm, run by the Menare Foundation in Germantown.

Special thanks to the hard working community nonprofit leaders who gave up their Saturday mornings to host us.

If you would like to be a part of the Second Annual Roberto Clemente Community Service Day in 2023, either as a volunteer or as a nonprofit host organization, please reach out to Bruce Adams at bruce@greaterwash.org.