Warriors, Kaiser Permanente And The Athletes’ Corner Bring Swishes For Dishes Food Insecurity Initiative To Santa Cruz For 2020-21 Season

Second Harvest Food Bank to Receive 30 Meals for Each Point the Warriors Score This Season

SANTA CRUZ, CA – The Santa Cruz Warriors, Kaiser Permanente and The Athletes’ Corner are teaming up to bring the Swishes for Dishes initiative to Santa Cruz for the 2020-21 season. 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 this program, Santa Cruz will donate 30 meals per each point the Warriors score to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County during the 2020-21 single-site season.

“Our goal for this season is to donate 50,000 meals to families in need,” said Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy. “The impacts of COVID-19 have increased food insecurity drastically, and this program allows us to do our part in combating hunger in Santa Cruz County.”

“We are so pleased to be partnering with the Warriors and The Athletes’ Corner on this very worthy initiative”, said Karla Lomax, Public Affairs Director for Kaiser Permanente South Bay and Santa Cruz County. “The impacts of the pandemic and last year’s fires had a profound impact on our community. This effort will help provide more food security for those most impacted.”

Through the Swishes for Dishes initiative, the Golden State Warriors have already donated 373,400 meals to food banks throughout the Bay Area. The Santa Cruz Warriors hope to further drive awareness to this program while supporting Santa Cruz County families in need.

“The Santa Cruz Warriors continue as champion Hunger Heroes in our county,” said Second Harvest Food Bank Chief Development Officer, Suzanne Willis. “The Swishes for Dishes campaign is the most recent example of how the Sea Dubs demonstrate their care for people experiencing food insecurity. This campaign will provide further help during this major spike in food bank distribution demand.”

"We are excited to bring the Swishes for Dishes initiative to Santa Cruz and look forward to increasing our overall reach in helping those in need”, said Co-Founder of The Athletes’ Corner and Golden State Warriors TV Color Analyst for NBC Sports Bay Area, Kelenna Azubuike.

For more information on the Santa Cruz Warriors 2020-21 season, presented by Kaiser Permanente, please visit santacruzbasketball.com or call (831) 713-4400.

About Kaiser Permanente
For 75 years, Kaiser Permanente has been committed to shaping the future of health and health care — and helping our members, patients, and communities experience more healthy years. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Since July 21, 1945, Kaiser Permanente’s mission has been to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.4 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health.

About The Athletes’ Corner

The Athletes' Corner is a 501c3 non-profit organization that works with professional athletes and teams to strengthen families who are struggling mentally, spiritually, and physically through the vehicle of sports. Through The Athletes’ Corner vs. Hunger initiative, The Athletes’ Corner and Feeding America are providing meals to millions of people struggling with food insecurity through a unique approach linked to in-game performance of athletes and teams they partner with. The Athletes' Corner also creates uplifting media content that is focused on faith and family, to be a light for those who need more uplifting mentally and spiritually. Visit theathletescorner.org or their Instagram to learn more.