In light of the recent coronavirus outbreak that has hit the world as a whole, the Major League Baseball season, which was supposed to begin on March 26, has been postponed. There is, as of now, no set date for the action to start. Therefore, the New York Mets aren’t playing any games, and the team’s staff and game day employees are currently affected by the stoppage.
However, the Mets took a step forward over the weekend and announced a $1.2 million program to assist these seasonal game day employees financially. That includes, according to MLB.com, staffers and team vendors.
As some countries have managed to somewhat control the COVID-19 pandemic through public health policies, testing and effective quarantine, the infected and dead tolls in the United States keeps rising. Some locations have been hit harder than others, with New York being one of the most affected locations.
The Mets are offering “need-based grants”
Most of what is being called by the team as “need-based grants” will go to New York Mets’ ballpark employees. However, there will be a portion of the fund that will go to partner employees at Aramark, Alliance and Impark.
The Mets announced the $1.2 million funding program via Twitter, in their official account @Mets.
The team wrote that “the grants are intended to address the burden of paying for certain expenses arising from the pandemic associated with essentials such as food, medical care, shelter and other vital needs.”
“Our hope is that these grants will help to ease the hardship suffered by the many game day staff members who have been impacted by this crisis,” the club stated in the announcement.
The funds will be distributed through the Mets’ newly established COVID-19 Disaster Assistance Fund. Eligible employees will be able to get more information at www.mets.com/covid19grant, beginning Monday.