Sherman Banned Until Goal Reached

Salisbury, MD - The Delmarva Shorebirds, the class "A" affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, have officially banned Sherman the Shorebird from Arthur W. Perdue Stadium until the team collects 500 pounds of canned food items to benefit the "Strike Out Hunger" campaign. All the canned food items will go to the three local food banks on the Eastern Shore. Sherman will not be allowed to attend the April 5 exhibition game against Salisbury University or the April 7 home opener against the Greensboro Grasshoppers unless the team collects at least 500 pounds of canned food items.

The "Strike Out Hunger" campaign was developed in conjunction with Perdue and the 2011 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, which will be contested on June 21 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The campaign is focused on raising food donations and funds, and encouraging volunteer efforts to benefit the Eastern Shore Branch of the Maryland Food Bank, the Food Bank of Delaware and the Eastern Shore Branch of the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia.

The Shorebirds already collected 200 pounds of canned food items at the 2011 Hot Stove Banquet earlier in the year. Therefore, the team needs approximately 300 additional pounds of canned food items to bring Sherman back to Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

"We need an outpouring of support through canned food donations to get our favorite mascot back," said general manager Chris Bitters. "The Strike Out Hunger campaign is very important to us and we encourage everyone to get involved."

There are multiple ways to help the Shorebirds reach and exceed 500 pounds of canned food items. The first way is by simply dropping off canned food item(s) at the Shorebirds front office. Arthur W. Perdue Stadium will serve as a drop off site for canned foods through the 2011 All-Star Game on June 21. The drop off cans are located inside the Shorebirds main offices, which are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The next way to help is by bringing canned food items to Shorebirds Fan Fest, which is this Saturday, March 26 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. For each canned food item donated, the Shorebirds will give out a raffle ticket for the chance to win great prizes throughout the day.

The season begins on April 5 at 7:05 p.m. with a special exhibition game against Salisbury University at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium. The Shorebirds open the South Atlantic League portion of the schedule on April 7 at 7:05 p.m. against the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Sherman will not be able to attend either game unless the Shorebirds collect 500 pounds of canned food items.

For more information about the "Strike Out Hunger" campaign, contact the Shorebirds at 410-219-3112.

Delmarva Shorebirds
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The Delmarva Shorebirds are the Class "A" Affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. The Shorebirds are owned by 7th Inning Stretch, L.P., the same company that owns the Stockton Ports of the California League and the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League. The Shorebirds are the proud hosts of the 2011 South Atlantic League "Strike Out Hunger" All-Star Game presented by Perdue. The game will be contested on June 21, 2011. For more information, call the Shorebirds at 410-219-3112.

The Shorebirds are celebrating 16-years of professional baseball on the Eastern Shore. During the 2009 season, the Shorebirds finished with an average attendance of 3,567 fans, the largest average since the 2002 season. In 2007, The Shorebirds had the top attendance based on market size in Minor League Baseball(tm), according to Sports Business Journal (Aug. 2008). In 2010, more than 6,000 fans packed Arthur W. Perdue Stadium nine times including a season high of 8,993 fans on August 7th.

The Shorebirds were established in 1996 by an investor team headed by legendary chicken company owner, the late Frank Perdue. The Shorebirds have called Arthur W. Perdue home ever since. For more information about the Delmarva Shorebirds call 410-219-3112 or visit www.theshorebirds.com.