Zack Hample's Ballhawking for Youth Baseball 2016

You know how some people run marathons for charity and get their friends to pledge money for every mile? Well, that’s sort of what I’ve done for the past seven years, and I’m doing it again in 2016, except my marathon is the entire Major League Baseball season, and instead of running miles, I’ll be attempting to snag home run balls during major league baseball games.

I’m raising money for a non-profit charity called Pitch In For Baseball (PIFB) that provides baseball and softball equipment to underprivileged kids all over the world. In 2011, for example, when the massive earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, PIFB helped get the Little Leagues back up and running by replacing all their damaged gear. Two years later, PIFB delivered equipment to a dozen communities in New York and New Jersey that had been devastated by Hurricane Sandy – and the charity did the same thing in 2008 after Hurricane Ike tore through Galveston and other parts of Texas. During the past decade, PIFB has supported a youth softball program in Ecuador, an orphanage in Haiti, a school in the Philippines, and dozens of Urban Initiatives right here in America. PIFB has shipped equipment and uniforms to more than 80 countries (including Poland, Uganda, Israel, Iraq, Nicaragua, and the Cook Islands) and over 300 communities around the United States. Here are some photos from a recent equipment donation event at Yankee Stadium.

Not only is PIFB keeping kids interested in baseball, but it’s also keeping them off the streets, giving them a chance to exercise, and helping them find their passion.

This is where I’m hoping you’ll come in. One way to help, of course, is to donate equipment directly to PIFB, but another way is to pledge some money for every home run ball that I snag during live play this season. There’s no telling exactly how many I’ll end up with (which kinda makes this whole fundraising process more fun), but if you take a look at this list, you’ll get some idea of what to expect.

For the sake of doing some simple math, let’s say I end up snagging five home run balls. If you were to pledge one dollar per ball, you’d end up donating $5 to this cause. If you were to pledge $20 per ball, that would amount to a $100 donation. And so on.

How much money am I hoping to raise? What exactly will the money be used for? What are some of PIFB’s other projects? Are donations tax deductible? Why am I even doing this? Click here to read some FAQs on my website.

I’ve raised more than $190,000 over the past seven seasons, including a huge donation from the Yankees after I snagged Alex Rodriguez’s 3,000th career hit and gave the ball to him. In 2013 BIGS Sunflower Seeds donated a large sum, and four years earlier, All-Star closer Heath Bell also donated to my fundraiser. With your help, I hope to keep supporting this cause. Thanks very much for your consideration.

-Zack Hample