Backyard Bistro in Clothing Drive on Sunday

Fans of Red Sox and Yankees to compete Sunday at  Backyard Bistro in clothing drive for quake victims

   RALEIGH, N.C. – Spring Training is still a month away and the first brush-back pitch has yet to be thrown in the heated Boston Red Sox- New York Yankees rivalry.

      However, that won’t stop fans from each Major League Baseball team from some competition Sunday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Backyard Bistro --- all for a humanitarian cause.

      Red Sox and Yankees fans, along with other sports enthusiasts, are asked to donate new or gently-used clothing at the restaurant located off Trinity Road adjacent to the RBC Center, which will then be sent to homeless residents of the earthquake ravaged country of Haiti.

      While current rescue and relief efforts in Haiti have centered on food, water and medicine, clothing will be an essential need in the coming weeks for thousands of Haitian residents, many of whom lost everything in the massive national disaster.

      Backyard Bistro co-owner Joe Lumbrazo (a lover of the Yankees) and Sean Bunn, co-organizer of the 1,000-member www.TriangleRedSoxNation.org fan club, are spearheading the clothing relief effort. The two thought it would be fun to offer the clothing donation competition between fans of the teams, considering some of baseball’s greatest players have come from Haiti’s neighboring country, the Dominican Republic.

      "If you still own an outdated Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens or Jason Giambi T-shirt or jersey, now would be the perfect opportunity to donate such clothing to a group of people, to a country that is truly suffering," Bunn said. "It will be neat to see what fan base can contribute the most clothing as we put aside one of the greatest sports rivalries in sports."

      During the four-hour period, Lumbrazo and his team at Backyard Bistro will be tailgating in the parking lot and offering free sliders to those who donate clothing. In addition, any person wearing a Rex Sox or Yankees hat, T-shirt or jersey will receive $1.00 off any draft beer inside the restaurant. That offer will be extended to any fan wearing attire of the New York Jets, who will be playing in the AFC Championship game. 

      "Sunday will be a super sports day at Backyard Bistro since we’ll have the AFC and NFC championships on our big screen TVs and the Carolina Hurricanes play the Boston Bruins at 5 p.m. at the RBC Center," Lumbrazo said. "So, it’s fitting we’re doing something with Red Sox fans on this day."

      The clothing will be sorted and then taken to a relief organization in Goldsboro, where it will be shipped to Haiti at the appropriate time.

      Those donating are asked not to bring coats, jackets or any type of winter clothing because of Haiti’s temperate year-round climate.

(Thank you to Dave Droschak for sending this information)