Community steps up after Evansville youth baseball league loses concessions in robbery

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - The South Youth Baseball League is ready to play ball once again after a robbery left them without concessions.

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For many of those who attend baseball games, buying some peanuts and Cracker Jacks are an essential part of the baseball experience, soo you can imagine their anxiety when the leaders of the South Baseball league realized all their concessions had been stolen. Thankfully, community leaders stepped up to restore what they’d lost.

On Tuesday, the President of the South Baseball youth baseball league received a flurry of calls and texts telling him all their concessions were stolen from the concession stand.

“It’s disappointing,” said South Baseball President Moishawn Brooks. “It’s disappointing because my kids, they aged out of these parks and it’s sad just to see that we’re trying to change the whole culture and make it better for kids, so they have somewhere safe to go and things like this are continuing to happen.”

They lost about $1,200-worth of food and about $100 in cash. They decided to reach out to their local city council member, Missy Mosby, who connected them with local business owners and community members who were shocked to hear what happened.

“You’re robbing from a community program that’s here to let kids play baseball, let them have fun, and also learn leadership skills all at the same time,” said Active Nutrition President and CEO Trevor Baker.

Within a day, the community stepped up, and through their donations replaced much of what was lost. Even a few kids were there helping to load the concession stand once again.

“It’s like, basically helping the community around me,” said former league player Jordan Johnson.

They say they received donations from several local organizations, including Active Nutrition and the West Side Nut Club.

League officials say they’re ready to move forward and they’re able to serve people at games. They say they’re short of a few items, so they hope the community continues its support.

They say after the devastation of the robbery, they’ve learned a lot about how good their community can be as well.

“I love that they looked out for us, and I feel like that’s my cape, it’s the community,” said Brooks. “I feel like Superman with them behind me.”

If you’re interested in helping the South Baseball league, they have two games coming up tomorrow, and they say they’re eager to see even more community support.

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