Donate Used Sporting Equipment for Children in Need

There is a cost to playing youth sports, and for some local families it is just more than they can afford. From sign-ups to photos, equipment to uniforms, many youth in and around Norristown are unable to play organized sports due to the expense. Starting Saturday April 27, the Audubon Recreation Association (ARA), in conjunction with the hard work of one Methacton junior, will be hoping to make a difference for those children.

Starting this weekend, there will be a baseball/softball equipment drive at the ARA fields. The drive is being coordinated by Greg Pellicano, a junior on the Methacton High School baseball team, (and former ARA baseball player) as part of his senior project. 

The project involves collecting new and gently-used equipment (e.g. bats, gloves, helmets, baseballs, softballs, batting gloves, etc.) to provide underprivileged kids with the equipment they need to be able to play baseball and softball.

Pellicano is working with a charity organization called "Pitch in for Baseball," located in Harleysville. This organization assists with the collection and redistribution of new and gently used youth baseball and softball equipment for underprivileged kids. As seen in the YouTube video, the organization was once featured in "Charlie's Angels" on the Charlie Manuel Show in 2009.

Donated equipment can be dropped off near the ARA snack bar between April 27 and May 19. There will be either a storage container or large box near the snack bar each day, where residents can drop off the equipment. It will be picked up every night. Signs will be posted by the snack bar starting Friday, April 26. 

The ARA sports leagues are inviting its parents and players to support the equipment drive.

"Clean out the closets or the garage and consider donating the equipment for a good cause," said the league's letter to parents.

For more on the charity, visit the Pitch In For Baseball website here. To make a donation, visit the ARA fields in Audubon, located at Audubon and Pawlings roads. The snack bar is located at the far side of the fields, furthest from Pawlings Road.