of homeless people moving their whole lives in shopping
carts and I said to myself, `if I ever got a larger soapbox
personally I would try to take advantage of that,'" Mad-
don recalls. "When I became manager at Tampa Bay
a huge chal-
lenge. The first
decade of the
franchise was
one of frustra-
tion as the
team failed to
have a single
winning season. But new ownership and the selec-
tion of Maddon as the manager turned the franchise
around to one that is a perennial winner. Maddon has
picked up two American League Manager of the Year
awards while making the Rays a contender in the
tough American League East Division.
Bay community. He decided to create a new holi-
day tradition: Thanksmas. "I wanted a day between
Thanksgiving and Christmas to illustrate that people
who are hurting need our help any day, not just during
the holidays," Maddon explains. Each year, he is joined
by scores of volunteers in the Tampa Bay area to raise
money and cook and and serve meals to residents of
Salvation Army homeless shelters as well
as Sally House, The Salvation Army's children's shelter
in St. Petersburg. The food, cooking facilities and re-
lated expenses are handled by the Rays, supplemented
by contributions and other community efforts.
Thanksmas features an Italian feast of pasta, sausage,
meatballs and Joe's special tomato sauce along with
a wide variety of other foods.
know The Salvation Army that well until I got here
and we started working with them, but their over-
Army serving Thanksgiving meals in the 90s. The
thing to do, and now with Joe's help, it has grown into
a really solid relationship."
Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanksmas
is on the way!