Game On: Chabad Vs. Police

By COLlive reporter

Each year the Wellesley-Weston Chabad softball team faces off against the Wellesley Police Department in a game that benefits a Wellesley charity.

This year, the 7th annual Charity Softball Game, which took place on Sunday, October 13 at Hunnewell Field, raised money for The Catastrophic Emergency Fund, a non profit that helps unemployed people in New England pay for crucial needs.

“The Charity Softball Game is always a blast for us,” said Wellesley-Weston Chabad Rabbi Moshe Bleich. “It’s become a fun rivalry over the years with the police department and, most importantly, everyone comes together to support an important cause.”

The Shluggers, as the Wellesley-Weston Chabad team is known, took this year’s contest 12-10 on the strength of a late comeback, the go-ahead hit being hit by the Rabbi and clutch pitching and defense in the final two frames against a hard-hitting Wellesley Police Department squad.

“This is a game we really look forward to, and it means a lot to the Wellesley Police Department to be able to support local charities like this,” said Wellesley Police Officer Tim Barros who added with a smile that the outcome might have been different if the department had its full roster available this year. “We had to take three guys from their team in order to fill out our starting 10, and that certainly didn’t help our cause.”

Thanks to both teams and the fans that cheered them on, the real winners are the Massachusetts and New England families who are struggling to meet basic needs due to sudden unemployment. With the help of The Catastrophic Emergency Fund, food can be put on the table and hope and dignity can be restored.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Wellesley Police Department and Wellesley-Weston Chabad for their enthusiastic support of The Catastrophic Emergency Fund,” said the Fund’s Secretary/Clerk Aliana Brodmann E. von Richthofen. “With their help there is more support for those in critical need, especially children, who are particularly vulnerable to financial challenges.”