Help Mercer Street Friends Food Bank Feed Hungry Families

www.trentonthunder.com

(Trenton, NJ) - The Trenton Thunder, Double A Affiliate of the New York Yankees,  announced on Monday that the "Dog Days of Summer" canned food drive to benefit the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank has been added to the schedule on August 23.

Dog Days of Summer Food DriveOn Sunday, August 23, fans are asked to support the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank with a donation of non-perishable food as part of the "Dog Days of Summer Food Drive".  Donations will be collected at "Chase's Dog House" on the stadium approach.  If enough food is collected to fill the dog house, then everyone who donated will be awarded a voucher for a free ticket to the Thunder season finale on Monday, August 31 against the New Britain Rock Cats at 7:05 PM.  In addition, the first 50 donors will be entered into a raffle to win a ball autographed by NY Yankee Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage.

The dog house is used by the Thunder's 9-year old golden retriever Chase That Golden Thunder and is approximately 9 cubic feet in size. Food will be collected on the stadium approach to the right of the main gate.

Please note, that even though the word 'dog' is in the name, this is a collection of HUMAN food, not dog food.

The game on August 23 is against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Toronto Blue Jays) and will begin at 1:05 PM. The giveaway that day is an oversized baseball card of Chase's son, Derby, thanks to Arm & Hammer. The first 2,000 fans ages 5-15 will receive the giveaway featuring the golden retriever puppy. Gates open at 11:30 AM for season ticket holders and 12:05 PM for the general public.

The Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, established in 1987, is the food bank for all of Mercer County. Its mission is to alleviate hunger through food distribution, nutrition education and assistance, advocacy and outreach. The Food Bank receives and distributes more than two million pounds of food per year, which helps to feed over 20,000 low-income men, women and children at risk for hunger. For more information about the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, please visit: www.mercerstreetfriends.org.

Trenton Thunder LogoThe Thunder have announced that all kids will eat for free at Waterfront Park throughout the 2009 season. All children with a ticket, ages 12 and under, will receive a voucher upon entering the ballpark good for a free hot dog, bag of potato chips, and a 12 oz. fountain soda at all 71 Thunder home games this season.

The Thunder are the only team in Minor League Baseball history at the Double A Level or below to draw over 400,000 fans for 14 consecutive seasons and have drawn over 6 million in attendance in its 15-year history.