Pitch in for Baseball and Softball

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Pitch in for Baseball and Softball
Formation2005
HeadquartersHarleysville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Key people
Terry Smith, President [1]
Websitepifbs.org

Pitch in for Baseball and Softball (PIFBS) is a US based non-profit, 501(c)(3) charity that focuses on the collection and distribution of new and gently used baseball and softball equipment. The collected equipment is given to youth leagues in underserved communities around the world. The PIFBS has donated in excess of $9 million worth of equipment to more than 800,000 children in every state. The organization also serves internationally over a 117 countries. PIFBS has helped leagues in the Dominican Republic, Poland, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ghana, Israel, Ukraine, India, China and the hurricane-affected Gulf Coast region of the United States.

History[edit]

PIFBS was founded shortly after Hurricane Katrina. The organization sent donated equipment to the devastated areas to help revive their local youth baseball leagues. PIFBS continues to help communities affected by natural disasters. In June 2011, they donated equipment to people in Joplin, Missouri, after the string of tornados in that area.[2] The organization also works with privileged communities including those around Philadelphia. [3]

PIFBS has sent equipment to Europe and is credited with helping raise the popularity of baseball in Europe.[4] The Uganda little league team that competed in the 2012 Little League World Series received its equipment from PIFBS. This was captured by filmmaker Jay Shapiro for the 2015 documentary Opposite Field.[5] Shapiro spent two years in Uganda filming baseball players and documenting the country's baseball community.[6]

Pitch in for Baseball (PIFB) became Pitch in for Baseball and Softball in 2018, when PIFB launched Pitch in for Softball (PIFS) to donate softball equipment as well. The advisory committee for PIFS were Olympic medalists, Natasha Watley and Crystl Bustos.[7]

Notable athletes involved[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Pitch in for Baseball - Front Office". Archived from the original on 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2012-08-01.
  2. ^ "Joplin kids to get donated baseball equipment | MLB.com: News". Archived from the original on 2012-05-18.
  3. ^ "Pitch In For Baseball & Softball - GuideStar Profile". www.guidestar.org. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  4. ^ "Baseball gains popularity in Europe | MLB.com: News". Archived from the original on 2012-05-30.
  5. ^ "Opposite Field". Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  6. ^ http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101029&content_id=15896972&c_id=mlb [dead link]
  7. ^ a b League, Little. "Pitch in for Baseball & Softball". Little League. Retrieved 2024-02-22.
  8. ^ a b "Uganda baseball–continued success". 25 January 2012.
  9. ^ "Carl Pavano teams with Pitch in for Baseball for Kids of Ludlow".
  10. ^ http://www.excelsm.com/news/michael-cuddyer-pitches-baseball-charity/2011/08/14 [dead link]

10. http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130702&content_id=52439232&c_id=mlb

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