Bucs surprise Butler family with early Christmas
A Butler family of seven was surprised Thursday by six Pittsburgh Pirates, who arrived at the Salvation Army offices in the Pirates Charities CARE-a-van to shower them with gifts.
Pitchers Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham, bullpen catcher Jordan Comadena, catcher Jacob Stallings, hitting coach Jeff Branson and infielder Max Moroff carried large canvas bags of festively wrapped presents into the chapel at the Salvation Army, where the Pinnell family was enjoying a free holiday lunch.
The Pinnells were told they would be receiving a visit from someone special but had no idea who.
The players invited the Pinnell children to open their presents immediately, which they did with gusto.
“A Hatchimals!” shrieked Kiara Pinnell, 8.
“How cool is that?” replied Kingham, who was clearly thrilled at Kiara's response. “Look at that smile.”
Carla Pinnell, 11, excitedly opened a large box that turned out to be a guitar.“What's the first song you're going to learn on that?” Taillon asked.“Luke Bryan,” Carla replied.Taillon said the CARE-a-van had come from the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where many residents sported Pirates gear.“But there's something about putting a smile on kids' faces that is different,” said the 6-foot-6 hurler.He also praised the Pirates organization for putting together the Charities CARE-a-van, which saw multiple groups of players spend three days on the road in the tri-state area handing out gifts to the less fortunate.“It takes a lot of work and a lot of fundraising to do this, but it's important to our organization,” Taillon said.
Mom Christina Pinnell said none of the players held it against her that she is a San Diego native and roots for the Padres.“It was really awesome and I'm really grateful,” she said. “Seeing my kids open their presents and their faces light up was priceless.”She was also appreciative of the Salvation Army for helping her achieve her goal of making 2017 her family's best Christmas ever.“The Salvation Army helped by choosing our family, and the Pirates helped by coming to do this for us,” Pinnell said.She said the players and the presents also achieved another rarity in their family.“They got my oldest to smile,” she said.Lauren Brant, the divisional director of fundraising at the Salvation Army, said the Pirates are always helpful with Salvation Army programs.“Christmas is a magical time of year, and many don't have the opportunity to provide one for their kids,” Brant said. “It's good to give back to families who might be experiencing a lot of stress and financial difficulties.”Shawn Pinnell said he was shocked to see the players enter the room and present his children with such nice presents.“We're grateful,” Pinnell said. “It's an honor and it gives the kids a wonderful experience.”
