Over 1,900 lbs. of food was delivered to The Mustard Seed Food Bank (above) by the HarbourCats in Victoria, part of a total of alomost 3,200 lbs. collected by both teams on the day (Photo: Christian J. Stewart)

For Immediate Release 

January 7, 2021

VICTORIA and NANAIMO, B.C. — Two teams, two cities, joined together, and did a whole lot of good on New Year’s Day, starting 2021 the right way.

“What we witnessed — is impossible to describe,” said Jim Swanson Managing Partner and GM of the new Nanaimo NightOwls and the long-established Victoria HarbourCats baseball teams, who both play in the West Coast League.

Food drives held in both cities netted a combined $2,654.00 in cash donations and 3,178 lbs. of donated food, which at current Food Bank Canada guidelines, at a value of $2.62 per lb., translates into a total food value of $8,326.36

In Victoria, food and cash donations went to The Mustard Seed, while in Nanaimo, it was given to Loaves and Fishes.

Supporters like HarbourCats fan Vincent Mullaley stopped by in Victoria — with 20 large bags of food, yes, TWENTY. Notable cash donations came in from Mayfair Optometric Clinic, Odlum Brown, and Double-N Flooring, among others. In Nanaimo, Sign Zone brought a cash donation while cars circled the ballpark parking lot in drenched conditions.

It was a goal of both the HarbourCats and NightOwls food drives to fill the RV’s, graciously donated by Arbutus RV, and as evidenced here, and by the near 3,200 lbs. of food donated, the teams were successful in this mission!

All in the name, in both locations, of filling RVs provided by Arbutus RV, with support from Save On Foods, Panago on Fourth in Nanaimo, The Wilson’s Group of Companies, Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce and other partners and stakeholders. Fans of both teams were front and centre in the giving.

All was done following current rules and guidelines in the name of public health safety.

“People have all been impacted by this, but they want to help others, and our best use of time these days is to help our communities get through this — what we do best is bring people together, and our staff worked hard on this,” said Swanson. “We added a surprise 20-minute fireworks show in Nanaimo just after dark, that perked up people’s spirits going into 2021, too. It was cathartic, we all felt the release of, kinda-sorta, being at an event.”

The two WCL rivals, who will first lock horns in June, plan to make the food drives (and fireworks?) an annual event — mark it down for Jan. 1, 2022.

ONWARD TO 2021!

The HarbourCats continue to prepare for the 2021 West Coast League season which is scheduled to begin in Edmonton on June 1, and then with the HarbourCats playing their home opener, against the Port Angeles Lefties, on Friday, June 4 at 6:35pm.  Get on board for the 2021 season in the following ways:

2021 Season tickets — the best way to help, one that guarantees you seats to all our games (usually 35 per year or so) plus other season ticket holder perks. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details. Our “101 for 2021”  Season Ticket promotion is still in effect (until March 31). Get your perks today!

10-Game Flex Packs / Vouchers — Don’t want to commit, or can’t commit to season tickets? Consider 10-game flex packs – anytime vouchers that can be used in any combination…10 tickets at one game, 1 ticket at 10 games or anything in between. Season ticket voucher equivalents are also available.  Flex Packs can be purchased at the office and are also available on-line at:  https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/products/10-game-flex-pack-general-admission

Corporate Partnerships – Want to put your company name or brand in front of our 100,000 fans every season?  Or know someone who does?  Consider joining us as a partner.  From a simple program ad, to the most complex of game day sponsorship, complete with signage and tickets, we will customize any campaign to suit your needs and budget.  And with our new HCATS.TV platform and our ownership group’s expansion of a new team in Nanaimo in 2021, the opportunities are now Island wide! Contact john@harbourcats.com for details.

Fundraising / 50-50 – Have an organization that needs to raise funds now?  A $1000 investment buys you 100 anytime 2021 game vouchers for our Premium Reserved seats that you can then turn around and sell for $20 each, earning you your investment back, plus another $1000 in return. We will then hold a 50-50 date for you in 2021 and you can bring your group to the park to sell that game, taking home 50% of the proceeds. Contact chris@harbourcats.com for details.

Merchandise – Consider a HarbourCats merchandise purchase from our store at 1814 Vancouver Street, or from our on-line store, The Cat Shop, at https://victoria-harbourcats-official.myshopify.com/ New items, including 2020 game caps and player’s gear are arriving weekly and we need to clear them out!

OFFICE HOURS 

For January and February, we are officially open Tuesday through Friday 10 am to 5:30 pm.  We are often in and out of office during off-season, so best to call 778-265-0327 before venturing over to make sure. Closed Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays.