Rat City Fans donate to hungry, Rat City revisits Community-Care Program

Food Lifeline in Shoreline handles major donations of food
and distributes it to area food banks

The Rat City Rollergirls (RCRG) and their fans donated 2,604 pounds of canned food to needy families in King County as part of the tongue-in-cheek Show Us Your Cans campaign. In partnership with Food Lifeline and Hansen Bros. Moving, Rat City asked spectators to bring canned food donations to roller derby bouts during the summer of 2015 as part of a renewed focus on community care.

Rat City has historically been a grassroots roller derby organization. The league was founded by volunteers who are deeply committed to the community, but recent changes in leadership have reemphasized the existing community care program at RCRG. Thanks to Alexis Izor, AmeriCorps member and seasoned nonprofit employee, RCRG skaters recently voted on the following priority areas: the queer community, kids, sports, female empowerment and organizations that work with injuries that are common in roller derby.

“Show Us Your Cans, our food and fund drive to help our neighbors in need, aligns with our goals of being active citizens off the track too. We are a part of Seattle and love this city, so Rat City looks for ways to partner with organizations whose mission align with our values,” said Izor.

Food Lifeline, a nonprofit headquartered in Shoreline, provides food to food banks and views hunger as a distribution issue, as it seeks to find ways to reallocate food surpluses to those who need it. The organization supplies about 88,000 meals to low-income people each day. For RCRG, the partnership and success of the Show Us Your Cans campaign represents a marked shift toward increased philanthropic efforts throughout the league.

“We hope to build deeper relationships with local organizations that support causes we care about, and Show Us Your Cans allows us to work closely with Hansen Bros. Moving and Food Lifeline to make a difference,” said Izor.

About Rat City Rollergirls

RCRG is Seattle’s premiere all-female, flat-track roller derby league. RCRG is composed of about 80 active skaters and many more retired skaters who are still involved. The skaters are divided among four home teams, as well as the All Stars and Competitive Rat Lab teams. It is Rat City’s mission to maintain a competitive athletic program, promote the sport of roller derby, provide quality sports entertainment for fans, and make a positive impact in the community.