BILLINGS — Seattle Seahawks fans in Billings turned their Sunday game day into a community service event, raising money for a local charity.
The Yellowstone Sea Hawkers, a local nonprofit organization, hosted a watch party at The Red Door that doubled as a fundraiser for Family Service, an organization that provides food and assistance to the community.
Watch how the Yellowstone Sea Hawkers are raising money for Family Service:
Sea Hawkers President John Fanzone, who grew up in the Seattle area, wanted to bring fans together beyond just watching football.
“Just being able to come together as a family and find social interaction, find a passion for the same thing and being able to have an impact outside of that. It's what it's about, it really is,” Fanzone said Sunday.
The organization partnered with Family Service as their beneficiary because of the community impact.
“They're a staple in our community for, obviously, feeding and taking care of those in need. They're, as much as we want to give back to the community, they're a big part of that as well,” Fanzone said.
The fundraising effort comes at a critical time as SNAP benefits remain uncertain and community needs continue to grow.
“As much as we like to get together as Seahawks fans and celebrate and just love and support our team, it's all about community and giving back to your local community,” Fanzone said.
The fundraiser included a silent auction, 50-50 raffle and donations on site. Fanzone said they hope to double the amount of their donation from last year.
“We're doing a silent auction. We've got five different items on there that we're looking to raise money with. With that alone, if everybody just bids on what's there, we're gonna double at least what we gave last year, if not more,” Fanzone said.
Kelsey Stark with Family Service said the organization has seen increased demands for services.
“We obviously have seen an increase in those in need and we just keep helping them the best we can and serving them the best we can,” Stark said.
Stark expressed gratitude for the community support from the Sea Hawkers and other local groups.
“It's just great to know that the community is supporting us and has continued to support us and has come out of kind of the woodworks to help us even more. It's gonna help us provide food, rent and utility assistance, education assistance, especially in a time right now that it's just kind of all unknown of when things are gonna (get better), or if they're gonna get better,” Stark said.
For Fanzone, the event represents the true spirit of community involvement.
“The more that we can give back and support Family Service who has a reach and a community connection to be able to support those that are in need, this just gives them extra support to do so,” Fanzone said.
