San Jose Earthquakes, Ultras team up to feed healthcare workers

The San Jose Earthquakes, the San Jose Ultras supporters group, and the Quakes Foundation teamed up to support and feed local healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic on Friday.

The Ultras raised $4,000 through GoFundMe, and the Quakes Foundation matched that amount. On Friday, they went to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center Friday afternoon, holding signs, clapping the healthcare workers at the hospital, and feeding them food from several local food trucks.

“The anxiety, stress, and confusion many of us are feeling about the future can be overwhelming,” said leader of the San Jose Ultras Dan Margarit in an article on the club’s website. “Sometimes the sadness and negativity these emotions bring makes us forget that there are plenty of positive things happening as we are all adapting to the changes the pandemic has brought into our lives. Every time we leave the house to buy food or go to work, we risk exposure to this invisible threat. However, there are others who are in the lion’s den battling this disease directly. That’s why I felt it was necessary to show our support and respect to our local medical workers who risk their lives to save ours, and also help the food truck owners who are now struggling like all small businesses. Reaching and surpassing our fundraiser’s goal in a couple of hours made me so proud of our Black and Blue community. Thanks to everybody who donated and to the Quakes Front Office for matching what we raised.”

This is a terrific story and the kind of effort that hammers home the community aspect of supporters groups and soccer clubs. It can be easy to get wrapped up in our everyday lives and think of soccer as merely an escape from all the bad stuff, but here’s a great example of everyone coming together to support the people holding society together, literally, right now. Great job to all, and thanks to the essential workers continuing to hold it down right now.

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