Matchday is a special time around CenturyLink Field with Seattle Sounders fans packing a number of bars and restaurants before, and after, a home game.
And with Major League Soccer suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Sounders are taking care of those who are most directly affected by the stoppage.
On Wednesday, the club launched the Seattle Sounders FC Relief Fund, primarily aimed at supporting individuals, non-profits and small businesses in the neighborhoods surrounding CenturyLink Field, including SoDo, Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District, that have been adversely impacted by the postponement.
The Hanauer Family is providing an initial investment of $500,000 to the fund.
"The Sounders were born here in Seattle over 40 years ago, and we wouldn't be the club we have become without the support we've always found in this amazing and vibrant community," Sounders FC majority owner Adrian Hanauer said in a statement. "Now, as our world faces the new and unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19, it's our responsibility to step up and give back to the community in a meaningful way. Through the Sounders FC Relief Fund, we aim to provide direct support to those who need it most. My mother and I are proud to be able to begin the funding for this incredibly vital project.”
The fund is intended to support a range of needs, from groceries to rent assistance to monetary packages with the following priorities:
- Direct support of resources to shift workers and service providers in and around CenturyLink Field, and in neighborhood businesses that support and serve fans on matchday.
- Direct resources to small business owners to pay their critical expenses during this crisis so that they can stay in business and keep their doors open.
- Direct resources to non-profits that serve and support individuals and small businesses in the South Downtown neighborhoods of SoDo, Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District.
Those who want to help can click here to learn more and to donate.
