Nolan and Shalan Trotz participate in the Caps Food Drive. (Caps Outsider)
Caps fans continued to display their unyielding generosity Sunday afternoon at Verizon Center when the Caps hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fans were encouraged to donate non-perishable food items to benefit the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) which has served the National Capital region for 36 years. As the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger problems, the CAFB helps 540,000 people each year get access to healthy food. As a big ‘thank you’ from the Caps, fans who donated two or more items received a poster of Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom. A select number of the posters distributed were signed by Caps players.
“We’re out here volunteering today to support the community and because my dad is one of the coaches,” said Shalan Trotz. Her father is, of course, Barry Trotz, head coach of the Caps. She and her brother, Nolan, were in front of Verizon Center welcoming fans, accepting donations of food for CAFB, and handing out Backstrom posters to all participants.
“We did this back in Nashville, too,” Shalan explained. ” It’s great to be able to give back to the community by collecting food for the less fortunate.”
Avid Caps fan Ann Gardner of Rockville, MD generously contributed a large bag of non-perishable food to the drive.
“I really like to support the Caps and their charitable causes. I went to Giant and bought cans of veggies, boxed pasta, spaghetti sauce and peanut butter to contribute today,” said Gardner who brought the heavy bag downtown via Metro. “And I really wanted to get a Nick Backstrom poster. I got the T.J. Oshie poster the Caps gave at the toy drive last year and this one will hang right next to it.”
The event was supported by Giant Food, LLC, headquartered in Landover, Md. Giant Food operates 167 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, and employs approximately 20,000 associates. In addition, employees from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a canned food drive supporting partner, served as volunteers at the game, helping to collect canned goods from fans. PwC is a network of firms in 157 countries with more than 223,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services.
If you weren’t able to attend the game Sunday, you can still donate at your local Giant grocery store from now through Thursday, Dec., 18. Collection bins will be at the front of each store. For more information, visit www.giantfood.com. PwC will also be collecting donations at their local offices. Find out more at www.pwc.com.
