Soccer fans turn Brooklyn bars into hubs for winter food drive
A retired nurse and new soccer fan helped spark a community-wide food drive that is now bringing together Brooklyn Football Club supporters, neighborhood bars, and a local nonprofit to help feed families across the borough.
Jeannie May, a Bay Ridge resident, said her new enthusiasm for the borough's professional women's soccer team inspired her to find a way to channel fan energy into something meaningful.
9 bars collecting food, winter coats for local schools
"I was so happy to have a professional soccer team, women's team, come into Brooklyn that I just had to buy tickets," May said.
After noticing the passion surrounding the team, May suggested a partnership between Brooklyn Football Club and Grandma's Love Inc., a nonprofit focused on fighting childhood hunger. The collaboration now includes nine Brooklyn FC partner bars collecting shelf-stable food and winter coats to benefit 10 local schools.
May said the cause is personal.
"I grew up in a home, we needed food assistance. And so it's always pretty close to my heart," she said.
Grandma's Love founder and Executive Director Theresa Monforte-Caraballo said the organization focuses on providing practical, long-lasting food options for families.
"I go around and pick them up, and we start to put together some food bags. Usually, rice, beans, pasta, sauce... items like that, that stretch a long way," Monforte-Caraballo said.
"That passion can extend way beyond fans in the stadium"
Remy Lupica, Brooklyn FC's director of community and special projects, said soccer's ability to unite people makes it a powerful tool for community impact.
"What other thing in our lives gets 10,000 people together to all cheer for the same thing, collectively, in unison? That passion can extend way beyond fans in the stadium," Lupica said.
At Highbury Pub on Cortelyou Road, manager Adam Torkel said the drive has resonated with longtime regulars and new fans alike.
"We get generations of fans coming in, and that's really important for us," Torkel said.
He added the casual setting has encouraged spontaneous generosity.
"After a couple of beers, some people just go right to the supermarket across the street and come back with some cans. It's been pretty fantastic," Torkel said.
Organizers plan to expand effort in 2026
Hundreds of dollars' worth of food has already been sorted and packed. The donations from each participating pub will be distributed through Grandma's Love to food-insecure families in the same communities where the food is collected.
Monforte-Caraballo said the organization is also refining how it supports families.
"We actually now implemented, in one of our schools, to sit down with each family and actually find out what is the best way that we can serve them," she said.
For May, seeing the idea grow has been especially rewarding.
"I'm grateful that basically the Brooklyn Football Club took it and ran. I think that there's a need everywhere and if we can help, let's do it," she said.
Organizers say the drive has been extended through the winter, with plans to expand the effort next year. They hope to continue to use the power of soccer to make a difference beyond the field.
Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.