MLS Partners Unite: How MLS sponsors are supporting communities during the coronavirus pandemic

EDITOR'S NOTE: As we all continue to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, the MLS community has been coming together to support those most impacted by the crisis and to continue to connect with fans social distancing at home. MLS Unites has been helping shine a spotlight on the work the league, its clubs, players and coaches have been doing in communities across the United States and Canada. MLS's corporate Partners have also been playing a major role in that effort. As the pandemic continues to impact lives, this page will share some of the initiatives the league's Partners have been undertaking to support those in need and to inspire us all to make a difference.

adidas

#Hometeam is a community of athletes and creators from all over the world, sharing skills, training, and advice to help us all keep moving and stay hopeful and healthy in body and mind. Join the team. Together is how we get through this.

AT&T

Throughout this unique time, AT&T is supporting customers with financial hardships by waiving fees, increasing your data, upgrading devices, expanding access to our programming, offering free smartphones for life for public safety agencies on FirstNet, and not disconnecting service. We’re doing our best to keep our customers and employees safe, with free express shipping to your door, no-contact delivery and device setup, and curbside pickup. We’re also supporting first responders and medical personnel responding to COVID-19 with nourishing meals. Go here for more FirstNet news, and for the latest on our response, visit our COVID-19 webpage.

Audi

From the blue lights of Audi Field standing in solidarity with our health care workers, to helping distribute meals to those in need, Audi is committed to supporting those who are working tirelessly to keep our communities safe and well. In addition, Audi is working with the LEE Initiative to help thousands of restaurant workers who are currently unemployed by opening relief kitchens across the country in order to make sure those workers are able to receive food and supplies. As part of the brand’s commitment to the initiative, Audi has provided a fleet of vehicles that will be used nationwide to expand their efforts and provide delivery services to local communities.

BODYARMOR

BODYARMOR, the Official Sports Drink of Major League Soccer, has worked with several MLS teams to donate their product nationwide to frontline workers and those heavily impacted by COVID-19. Over the last several weeks, BODYARMOR has partnered with NYCFC, Portland Timbers, Chicago Fire FC and LAFC to coordinate donations that total more than 100,000 bottles of sports drink to local area hospitals, kitchens and pantries, health service organizations and more including American Red Cross, Kaiser Permanente, Providence Health & Services – Oregon, NY Common Pantry, Retired Sergeants Foundation and Founders Give. Given the importance of hydration, BODYARMOR will continue to work with MLS teams and other organizations to donate sports drink to those in need.

Diageo

Now more than ever Captain Morgan is proud and honored to be in partnership with Major League Soccer and remains committed to supporting MLS. To coincide with this week’s MLS Unites initiative, MLS Unites for Those in Need, Captain Morgan is pledging an initial donation of $500,000 across the USA and Canada to assist local MLS communities affected by COVID-19 through our club partners’ charities of choice. Each local charity is focused on providing meals and relief to COVID-19 frontline workers and to those most affected in the surrounding communities.

While we can’t all be together rooting for our favorite MLS club right now, we can still keep the MLS spirit alive. Captain Morgan is challenging you to nutmeg someone or something at your home and post it on Instagram. Get the full details on how to participate and the list of charities here.

EA Sports

EA’s "Stay Home, Play Together." initiative brings together and encourages the sharing of creative content, livestreams and other ways to bring the gaming community together while staying safe by staying home. As part of this, MLS and eMLS players have joined forces for the eMLS Tournament Special, airing Sundays at 7 pm ET on FS1 and Fox Deportes.

Headspace 

To help you take care of your mind during this global health crisis, league partner Headspace - a global leader in mindfulness and meditation - has created the Weathering the storm collection. This handpicked collection of sleep, meditation, and movement exercises are available for free to everyone online and in the Headspace app. Headspace is also providing free Headspace Plus subscriptions to US, UK, and French healthcare providers, and K-12 teachers, school administrators, and supporting staff in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia. For additional information, please visit https://www.headspace.com/covid-19.

Heineken

On April 8th, HEINEKEN NV announced a €15 million donation to support the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) relief efforts for the most vulnerable people affected by COVID-19. To read more, click here. Additionally, on April 22nd, the de Carvalho-Heineken family, together with their holding company, announced they will donate €10 million to eight charities providing support to communities most affected and fragile, to medical health systems and to medical research.

JLab

To support schools and children transition to online learning, JLab donated 3,000 headphones to the San Diego Unified School District for students in need of technology to continue remote learning.

Johnson & Johnson 

In addition to committing $50M to support and supply frontline workers, Johnson & Johnson is on the front lines of vaccine research. The company has identified a lead COVID-19 vaccine candidate and is fast-tracking trials to September with anticipation of 1 billion doses for emergency use by early 2021 on an affordable, not-for-profit basis. To learn more about this process, Johnson & Johnson is releasing a groundbreaking eight-week live series, "The Road to a Vaccine," hosted by CNN anchor Lisa Ling that explores the COVID-19 crisis and the global efforts to develop a vaccine candidate. Each week includes interviews with world-leading scientists and experts. New episodes premiere every Tuesday at https://www.jnj.com/coronavirus

Kellogg’s

As the number of people impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to grows worldwide, Kellogg Company is helping to deliver nourishment to people when they need it most. To date, Kellogg and its charitable funds have now donated more than $10 million to global COVID-19 hunger relief efforts through its global Kellogg’s® Better Days purpose platform. Local governments have identified food security as a top priority in their fight against COVID-19. With school and business closures, transportation shutdowns and an increasing number of “shelter-at-home” mandates, Kellogg is providing critical support to food bank partners on the front-lines, helping those who may not know where their next meal is coming from.

MGM

In battling the current global crisis, we, at MGM Resorts, continue to be Focused on What Matters and continue embracing humanity, exemplifying inclusion, and exhibiting compassion for those in our communities. We quickly mobilized to donate the equivalent of 545,900 pounds of food through local food banks to alleviate food insecurity in the United States and have delivered over 450,000 health and safety products where they most required. And with support from employees, leadership, entertainment partners, and sponsors, the MGM Resorts Employee Emergency Grant Fund has reached $12.5 million dollars, which will provide financial relief for employees impacted by the crisis. Our commitment to our employees and the communities in which we operate, conduct business, and serve our customers remains steadfast. Click here to learn about all our initiatives.

Post

Post Honey Bunches of Oats is partnering with Christian Ramirez to donate money to Feed the Children. They are asking people to post videos of them and their family scoring a soccer goal. All goals count! Whether you’re playing in the backyard or playing in the house. All you need to do is upload the video and include #ScoreForMore and tag Honey Bunches of Oats. For every goal scored, Honey Bunches of Oats will donate $10 to supplement 60 meals to Feed the Children. Help us reach our goal of 5,000 goals! Get all the details here.

The Home Depot

As the situation around the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to develop, our paramount concern has been for the health and safety of our customers and associates. The Home Depot is an essential retailer to the communities we serve, and we’re committed to keeping stores open just as we always do during times of crisis and natural disaster. Homeowners and businesses depend on us for urgent needs such as hot water heaters, refrigerators, electrical and plumbing repairs, and harsh weather items like tarps, propane and batteries. We’ve made several temporary changes to our business as we look out for your safety and the safety of our associates.

Wells Fargo

In response to the current health crisis, Wells Fargo announced comprehensive steps to help customers, communities and employees. Starting with their customers, the company suspended residential property foreclosure sales, evictions and involuntary auto repossessions. In support of local communities, the Wells Fargo Foundation will distribute $175 million in donations to help address food, shelter, small business and housing stability, as well as to provide help to public health organizations. With respect to their employees, Wells Fargo expanded health benefits, identified child care solutions, optimized social distancing in branches, provided cash awards for front line staff, and allowed employees to work remotely when possible while remaining committed to helping their customers’ needs.