MIAMI LAKES, Fla. (www.orangebowl.org) – Three hurricanes and a tropical storm rolled through the Caribbean during hurricane season and wreaked havoc on Haiti, bringing floods and more than 300 deaths. Enter the Orange Bowl Committee and its Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance (OBYFA) presented by Burger King.

To help the recovery effort, the OBYFA is teaming up with Food for the Poor, Inc., Miami-Dade County, and 1800-Pack-Rat. The nonprofit agency needs canned meat, canned fish, dry beans, bottled water, first-aid items, personal hygiene items and blankets for storm victims.

Food for the Poor’s mission is to provide food, housing, health care, education, water projects, micro-enterprise development assistance and emergency relief to the poorest of the poor. 

“Not only are we helping those in serious need of assistance, but the children participating in OBYFA will learn a wonderful life lesson in the importance of giving back and helping others,” Orange Bowl Committee Youth Sports Manager Jose Regalado said. “Through this program we hope that it will also help the kids realize that there’s more to life than just football and cheerleading.”
The OBYFA’s Giveback endeavor begins on Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m. with a kickoff at Golden Glades’ Carol City Complex for awareness of the program, which is then followed by three collection periods during its league members’ Super Bowls. On Sunday, the OBYFA, in conjunction with Miami-Dade County and the County’s Fire and Police departments, will set up at the park to explain the significance of the program, while allowing the kids to see firefighting and police equipment up close.
“Miami-Dade County is honored to partner with the Orange Bowl Committee to support our neighbors in the Caribbean,” Barbara J. Jordan, Vice-Chairwoman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners said.
OBYFA parks will be in competition to see which park can provide the most donated items. The winning park receives a pizza party, courtesy of the OBC. The collection culminates at the OBYFA Championships, played for the first time this year at Florida International University’s brand new stadium on Dec. 13 and 14.
Miami-Dade County is collaborating with the OBYFA in collecting the items with its own representatives assisting in the efforts. The relief supplies will be stored in bins donated to each park hosting the leagues’ Super Bowls by 1-800-Pack-Rat from the hours of Noon-4 p.m.
The OBYFA Giveback times and dates are as follows:

Miami Xtreme Youth Football Super Bowl
Curtis Park, Nov. 22-23
National Youth Football League of America Super Bowl
Traz Powell Stadium, Nov. 29-30
Dick Conley Memorial Youth Football League Super Bowl
Harris Field, Nov. 22
OBYFA Championships
Florida International University Stadium, Dec. 13-14
 

In addition to this initiative, the Orange Bowl Committee and the OBYFA have a busy Festival season ahead of them. For the first time ever, the Spirit of the Orange Bowl competition will be held along with the OBYFA Junior Fan Fest, which are both on the weekend of the OBYFA Championships on Dec. 13 and 14. The Spirit of the Orange Bowl takes the All-Star teams from each winning park at the OBYFA Cheer and Dance Championships on Nov. 9 to compete against each other — the winner getting a chance to perform at various other Orange Bowl Festival events, such as the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic on Dec. 28. 
The Orange Bowl Committee, which this year hosts both the 75th annual FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2009 and the FedEx BCS National Championship game on Jan. 8, 2009, has long generated diverse youth sports competition and strong community outreach each year by funding an array of grants, community programs and scholarships that benefit thousands of South Florida youth.. To commemorate its 75th anniversary, and as a “thank you” for the support given to the Orange Bowl Festival and game from its inception, the OBC is leaving a Legacy Gift of $2.5 million to the South Florida community. The gift has been matched by the City of Miami, which is partnering with the Committee to construct a youth sports/high school football stadium, track and other improvements at Moore Park, located at 765 NW 36th Street in Miami, site of the first Palm Festival, predecessor of the FedEx Orange Bowl.
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About the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance (OBYFA) is home to more than 15,000 youth football players and cheerleaders in South Florida.  The OBYFA consists of eight member leagues in eight South Florida counties including Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe, Martin, St. Lucie, Collier and Lee  Since its inception, the OBC has provided direct and in-kind contributions to OBYFA member leagues, including more than $1 million from 2006-08.
For more information on the Orange Bowl Youth Football or any of its member leagues, please contact Youth Sports Manager Jose Regalado at (305) 341-4709 or yflkids@orangebowl.org.  Keep up with the OBYFA at www.orangebowl.org, the official website of the Orange Bowl Committee.
About Food for the Poor

Food for the Poor is the largest international relief and development organization in the nation.  With more than 96% of all donations going directly to programs that help those in need, Food For The Poor provides nourishing food, safe shelter, necessary medical care, educational materials, support for orphans and the aged, and much more to the poorest of the poor in 16 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Food for the Poor is asking anyone interested in helping storm victims in the Caribbean to make a tax-deductible donation online at www.FoodForThePoor.org/hurricane or by phone at 1-800-487-1158.   
Thanks to Michelle Brown of Circle of One Marketing, Inc.

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