OHIO — Players from the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds are serving as ambassadors for the "Home Plate Project." It's an initiative to provide meals for children across the country during the COVID-19 crisis.

All thirty Major League Baseball clubs are participating in the effort, with 50 players serving as ambassadors — including Brad Hand and Shane Bieber of the Indians, as well as Sonny Gray and Michael Lorenzen of the Reds. 

The MLB teams have already raised nearly one million dollars distributing more than four million meals to children who depend on free or reduced-price school lunches and snacks.

The Home Plate Project is a partnership with the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation and the Big League Impact charitable organization.

The Project was originally set to launch its second year this fall, but organizers were able to assemble players and get them to reach out to their friends and fellow players immediately, in light of the pandemic.