Santa Cruz Warriors Awarded 2020-21 NBA G League Social Responsibility Award For Swishes For Dishes Program

SANTA CRUZ, CA – The Santa Cruz Warriors were awarded the 2020-21 NBA G League Social Responsibility Award for their Swishes for Dishes Program in partnership with Kaiser Permanente and The Athletes’ Corner, announced by the league today. This is the second year in a row the Santa Cruz Warriors have won the Social Responsibility Award, winning last year for their Sea Dub Classics program.

The Santa Cruz Warriors, Kaiser Permanente and The Athletes’ Corner teamed up to bring the Swishes for Dishes initiative to Santa Cruz during 2020-21 play. Launched in December 2020 with the Golden State Warriors, Kaiser Permanente and The Athletes’ Corner, Swishes for Dishes is an initiative designed to address food insecurity issues throughout the Bay Area. Through the Swishes for Dishes initiative, the Santa Cruz Warriors, Kaiser Permanente and The Athletes’ Corner donated 50,280 meals to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County.

“We are ecstatic to win the NBA G League Social Responsibility Award not only for the recognition but for the community impact made from the Swishes for Dishes program,” said Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy. “The impacts of COVID-19 increased food insecurity in Santa Cruz County heavily and we were proud to play a role in combating hunger in the county.”

Santa Cruz donated 30 meals per each point the Warriors scored to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County during the 2020-21 single-site. During 2020-21 single-site play, the Warriors scored 1,676 points, totaling 50,280 meals for the Santa Cruz community.  With the Golden State Warriors contributing over a million meals during their season, a total of over 1,020,000 meals were donated to local food banks to support Bay Area families.

“Congratulations to the Santa Cruz Warriors for being recognized,” said Richelle Noroyan, Community and Corporate Relations Director for Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County. “The Swishes for Dishes program allowed Second Harvest to provide more than 50,000 meals to our community in the middle of the pandemic when it was needed the most. We are excited to see the Santa Cruz Warriors get this well-deserved recognition.”

“Throughout our partnership with the Santa Cruz Warriors we have consistently worked together to create programs that benefit our community’s health,” said Irene Chavez, SVP and Area Manager, Kaiser Permanente.  “With 1 in 4 children and 1 in 5 adults facing hunger in Santa Cruz County, Swishes for Dishes is an example of this meaningful work.  We are so proud of this program and to have been able to be a part of providing 50,280 meals to the Santa Cruz County community.  Thank you to the Santa Cruz Warriors and Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, because of you many in our community received the nutritious food they needed, when they needed it.”

“For Swishes for Dishes to be presented with the NBA G League Social Responsibility Award in the program’s inaugural year truly shows the impact this program has made across the greater Bay Area,” said Co-Founder of The Athletes’ Corner and Golden State Warriors TV Color Analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, Kelenna Azubuike. “We are so proud of the program’s success this season and look forward to continuing to grow the Swishes for Dishes program in the years to come.”

All NBA G League teams were invited to submit a nomination in each category for awards recognizing excellence for team business and social responsibility, with a committee of league and team executives choosing the winners. Other winners of the 2020-21 Social Responsibility Awards included the Long Island Nets and Delaware Blue Coats.

For more information on the Santa Cruz Warriors, visit santacruzbasketball.com or call (831) 713-4400.