Potters Baseball, a group of high school baseball players from several states, will travel this summer, visiting and interacting with communities in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The Mount Olive Area Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Mount Olive hosted this group in 2019 and twenty-five players completed community service projects, played baseball games against local teams and attended a Wilson Tobs game. Because of the positive interaction, Mount Olive has been chosen again to serve as a host community in 2020.
Due to COVID-19, the contingency will be smaller, but the interaction will be just as impactful on the Mount Olive community. Twelve players and three coaches will arrive in Mount Olive on July 25 and depart on July 27. In addition to the Mount Olive Chamber and Town of Mount Olive, Make a Difference Food Pantry (MAD) will serve as a sponsor of Potters Baseball. “We are so grateful for Make a Difference Food Pantry for their willingness to get involved this year,” stated Julie Beck, Mount Olive Chamber President. “Make a Difference will house the team in their facility, feed them, and organize community service projects and fun activities.”
While Potter Baseball is in Mount Olive, they will prepare meals and serve food to community members, build a bench and shelter for the Gateway bus stop at Make a Difference Food Pantry and paint newly built picnic tables. In addition, they plan to have a baseball clinic with underprivileged youth. In addition, Potters Baseball members will play baseball games at Daughtry Field against the Jets and Green Machine baseball teams and go to a batting cage. Of course, there will be lots of downtime for fun for the volunteers. There will be movie nights, video game tournaments and of course, snacks, including Mt. Olive pickles, snow cones, popcorn and ice cream.
Pastor Ronnie Wise will lead a worship service with Potters Baseball and anyone else who would like to join them on Sunday morning, July 26 at Daughtry Field.
Kenzie Hinson, founder of MAD, said, “We are excited to host Potters Baseball in our facility. The service projects they will do in our community will truly make a difference to so many lives. We have planned lots of activities with community members so that the players and coaches will leave with fond memories of Mount Olive.” The Mount Olive Chamber and Make a Difference put together goodie bags and give one to each participant before they leave town.
For more information about Potters Baseball, contact Paige Hinson at Make a Difference Food Pantry at 919-320-8202, Erin Lambert with Town of Mount Olive at 919-750-6030 or Julie Beck with Mount Olive Chamber at 919-738-0211.
