United Drives to collect toiletries during month of October

Throughout the 2011 Major League Soccer season, D.C. United collects items at every home game to benefit pre-determined non-profit organizations within the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.  This October, the club will collect toiletries to benefit Thrive DC. As a D.C. United signature program, United Drives assigns a different charity drive for each month of the MLS regular season, including the collection of games, toys, food, children’s books, and soccer equipment. 

Thrive DC works to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives.  

This year, D.C. United initiated a United Drives Challenge to help encourage and create an opportunity for elementary and middle schools to give back to the community.  It provides a competition between D.C. area schools to collect the greatest amount of United Drives items each month.  The monthly winners will receive a pizza party with a D.C. United player to celebrate the schools’ achievement.  If your institution is interested in taking The Challenge, please contact D.C. United’s Community Relations Department. 

Additionally, all fans that donate an item will receive a “Buy One, Get One Free” ticket voucher, redeemable for a 2011 regular season home game.  The collection bin on game days is located at the United Drives Booth outside RFK Stadium’s Gate A, and is open from two hours prior to the game until 15 minutes after kickoff. 

Donations are also accepted in the D.C. United offices on non-game days, located on the fourth floor of Gate A.  This season marks the eighth year of the United Drives campaign, which collects much-needed items to help with each beneficiary mission. 

For more information on United Drives or any of the D.C. United’s community initiatives, please call (202) 587-5000. 

About Thrive DC

Originally founded in 1979 as the Dinner Program for Homeless Women, Thrive DC is an independent 501©3 nonprofit organization that works to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives. Thrive DC provides the last available safety net for people facing economic crisis and housing instability while also providing the first step towards independence for people experiencing extended periods of homelessness.