PHILADELPHIA – Citizens, Philabundance, the Philadelphia Phillies and Phans ambassador Aaron Nola today announced the 2025 Phans Feeding Families campaign to support hunger relief efforts in the Philadelphia region. From May 1 until June 30, community members are encouraged to rally and support the cause through the STRIKEOUTHUNGER text-to-give program, online auction (Tuesday, June 10 to Monday, June 30) and Phans Feeding Families Game & Food Drive (Sunday, June 22).
To kick-start the campaign, Citizens has contributed $50,000 to Philabundance’s Community Kitchen (PCK), a free, 16-week culinary vocational training program that prepares low-income students for careers in the food service industry. Through the program, students prepare 350,000 annual meals for community members in need and are connected with in-demand food services jobs. Since its inception in 2000, 1,123 students have graduated from the program, with graduates going on to work in the food service and hospitality industries.
“Citizens is committed to helping drive economic impact in our local communities and we’re proud to support Philabundance’s innovative workforce development programs which help feed our neighbors in need and upskill students for future careers,” said Dan Fitzpatrick, Mid-Atlantic President, Citizens. “We encourage the Phillies community to join us in supporting the many ways that Philabundance transforms lives through food.”
In addition, Aaron Nola unveiled a public service announcement urging fans to take part in the cause, which will be shown on PhanaVision at every home game at Citizens Bank Park leading up to Phans Feeding Families Night on June 22.
Supporters of this year’s campaign can get involved in the following ways:
- Donate to the Phans Feeding Families Food Drive. Supporters can virtually donate Philabundance’s most-needed food items such as rice, peanut butter or vegetables by visiting the donation page or by texting STRIKEOUTHUNGER to 41444. Choose to donate from as little as one dollar to $1,000 or more.
Food donations will also be accepted in person at Phans Feeding Families Night on June 22 at Citizens Bank Park.
- Bid on nearly two dozen new team-issued and game-used autographed memorabilia items during the Phillies Charities, Inc. Auction benefitting Philabundance, which will be online at phillies.com/auctions from June 10 – June 30. Auction items include baseballs, jerseys, broken bats, postseason caps, and more signed by manager Rob Thomson and players such as Aaron Nola, José Alvarado, Nick Castellanos, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Cristopher Sánchez, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner and Zack Wheeler. Fans are also invited to stop by the First Base Gate during Phans Feeding Families Night on June 22 to see the items in person.
- Take part in the Phans Feeding Families Game & Food Drive, Sunday, June 22, when the Phillies take on the New York Mets at 7:10 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
- Purchase a Phans Feeding Families Theme Night Ticket.
- Bring a donation of non-perishable food at the entrance gates. Recommended items include plastic jars of peanut butter and jelly, canned tuna and pasta.
- Stop by the Third Base Plaza to digitally purchase food for the cause, courtesy of The GIANT Company, who will also be on site with fan giveaways. Those who donate will also have the chance to meet 1993 National League Champion Mickey Morandini.
- Participate in the Phillies Charities 50/50 Drawing (on June 22), in which a portion of the proceeds will benefit Philabundance.
Founded in 1984 with the simple belief that no one should go hungry while healthy food goes to waste, Philabundance has spent the last four decades working with over 350 community partners to distribute food throughout nine counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey; along with working to reduce food waste, increase access to nutritious meals, and tackle the root causes of hunger through programs including Philabundance Community Kitchen.
Philabundance serves over 135,000 people each week – a number that continues to grow as families continue to deal with the rising costs of basic necessities, such as housing and food. Since Phans Feeding Families began in 2011, Citizens has contributed $670,000, and with the support of the bank and the Phillies, the campaign has helped raise more than $1 million for Philabundance’s hunger relief efforts. Together with fan donations, more than four million meals have been provided to families in need.
“Thank you, Citizens and the Philadelphia Phillies, for your generous donation and continued partnership in the fight against hunger,” said Loree D. Jones Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Philabundance. “Supporting the Philabundance Community Kitchen is more than just about donating to a program; it’s about investing in lives and nurturing potential. Every dollar contributed helps us equip individuals with not only culinary skills, but the opportunity to transform not only their futures, but the futures of their families and their communities, while also fighting food insecurity in our community.”
“With food insecurity on the rise, far too many families in the Greater Philadelphia area are struggling to put their next meal on the table,” said Jackie Cuddeback, Phillies Chief Revenue Officer. “The mission to strike out hunger is more important than ever, and together, we can make a difference for those who need it most. We are proud to join Philabundance, Citizens and Aaron Nola, along with our partners and fans, for our Phans Feeding Families Night and Food Drive on June 22 at Citizens Bank Park.”
In addition to the Phillies and Citizens, Aramark Sports + Entertainment, the Campbells Company, The GIANT Company, Goya Foods, Hatfield Quality Meats, KPMG, SEPTA and Tri-State Toyota Dealers are supporting Philabundance as partners in the 2025 campaign.
About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $220.4 billion in assets as of March 31, 2024. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,300 ATMs and approximately 1,000 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
About Philabundance
Celebrating over 40 years of fighting hunger in 2025, Philabundance is the largest food bank in the Greater Philadelphia region serving over 135,000 people each week. In 2023, Philabundance distributed over 50 million pounds of food and 385,000 ready-to-eat meals through a network of 370 community partners across a 9-county service area in Philadelphia and South Jersey. In addition to food distribution, Philabundance works to reduce food waste through our retail rescue program, increase access to nutritious meals through our Good Food Policy, and tackle the root causes of hunger through our workforce development program at the Philabundance Community Kitchen. For more information about Philabundance and its impact, visit philabundance.org. Follow on social media: X and Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About The Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one name, one city franchise in all professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. Since 2004, the team's home has been Citizens Bank Park in the South Philadelphia section of the city, where they have captured a World Series championship (2008), three National League pennants (2008-09, 2022) and six NL East titles (2007-11, 2024). For more information, visit www.phillies.com.