The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation launches #LikeArnie campaign

The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, based in Orlando, Fla., started a campaign of charitable efforts to support people impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Called “#LikeArnie,” the campaign aims to support youth and educators across the country, including those in a number of PGA Tour event communities.

#LikeArnie builds on the Palmer Foundation’s immediate response to the pandemic, in which masks and face shields were provided to more than 20,000 workers at Orlando Health, which includes the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies.

Through Feeding America member food banks, #LikeArnie will support the provision of nutritious food to children in Orlando, Fla., the foundation’s home city and site of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The charity will also support food banks in Arnold Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe, Pa., and in nearby Pittsburgh.

In addition, Feeding America food banks, Food Banks Canada and FareShare in the U.K. have received gifts in support of 10 communities that were impacted by the cancellation of PGA Tour events. Focusing on children’s educational challenges, the Palmer Foundation is providing a major gift for the new DonorsChoose Keep Kids Learning initiative, which will support students and teachers across the nation. Also, in partnership with other organizations, the Foundation will address educational needs for children in Orlando.

“As part of our ongoing commitment to children’s health and in response to the COVID crisis, we feel fortunate to be able to support important medical and nutrition needs and to help address the educational challenges articulated by caring teachers on behalf of their students,” said Amy Palmer Saunders, chair of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation.

The benefiting Feeding America member food banks pantries include:
1. Feeding America Northeast Florida (The Players Championship)
2. Feeding Tampa Bay (Valspar Championship)
3. Central Texas Food Bank (Dell Technologies Match Play)
4. San Antonio Food Bank (Valero Texas Open)
5. Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana (Zurich Classic of New Orleans)
6. Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina (Wells Fargo Championship)
7. North Texas Food Bank (AT&T Byron Nelson)
8. God’s Pantry Food Bank, Inc. (Barbasol Championship)

International pantries are North York Harvest Food Bank (part of Food Banks Canada, supporting RBC Canadian Open) and FareShare Kent (part of FareShare UK, supporting The Open Championship).

The foundation also is working in partnership with the Florida Citrus Sports Foundation and others to address additional, crisis-related educational gaps for students in West Lake area schools.

Learn more about the foundation and the #LikeArnie campaign here.