Tampa Bay’s major sports franchises—the Buccaneers, Lightning and Rays (as well as the Rowdies, who are owned by the Rays)—are coming together to support Mayor Jane Castor’s new One Tampa: Relief Now, Rise Together Fund.
The Bucs, Lightning and Rays/Rowdies are each donating $100,000 to the effort, which was established Tuesday to help residents of the city who are in need during the ongoing pandemic.
We've pledged $100,000 along with the @RaysBaseball and @TBLightning to the One Tampa Fund, which helps with rent and utilities.
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 14, 2020
: https://t.co/pgwu4685tu pic.twitter.com/eKP42ywHTl
According to the city’s website, this “emergency grant” is aimed at providing relief during what is a significantly difficult time for many:
“The City of Tampa has established the Relief Now, Rise Together Fund to provide financial relief to eligible small businesses, families, and individuals negatively impacted by local COVID-19 orders. The relief program is an emergency grant focused on the most basic needs - rent and essential utilities. For eligible applicants, the program will provide direct payments for up to one month’s rent or mortgage plus one or more essential utility costs (water, gas, electric).”
Representatives from each of the organizations, including Buccaneers COO Brian Ford, appeared in a Twitter video to announce the donations:
We are one city, one team, #OneTampa.
— City of Tampa (@CityofTampa) April 14, 2020
We are so grateful to the @TBLightning, the @Buccaneers, and @RaysBaseball/@TampaBayRowdies for donating $100,000 each to our One Tampa fund to help individuals, families, and businesses that have been most impacted by #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/nseMNi0IuU
This is obviously a great sign of support from the Bucs, as well as the rest of the area’s sports franchises. And it’s just the latest in a long line of donations and contributions made by individuals from the teams themselves. Within the last week alone, we’ve seen Tom Brady and his wife donate 750,000 meals to Feeding Tampa Bay while Mike Evans and his foundation gave $100,000 to those in need, with $50,000 to United Way Suncoast and the other $50,000 going to his hometown of Galveston, Texas.
This is a rough time we’re living in, but the ability to come together and push through it is making it considerably more bearable.