OAKLAND (KRON) — The mayors of Oakland and Cleveland are forgoing a bet on who will win the NBA finals between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The competition started on Thursday to raise money for local food banks.
The Warriors won the first game on Thursday by a score of 104 to 89.
This year’s Finals are a rematch of last year’s Championship that the Warriors won against the Cavaliers.
Officials with the Alameda County Community Food Bank are aiming to raise $30,000 this year, which is what they raised last year in the same challenge, says Alameda County Community Food Bank spokesperson Michael Altfest.
The amount will pay for 68,000 meals, according to Altfest.
The fundraising goal was inspired by the Warriors’ star player and NBA MVP, Stephen Curry.
Altfest said this year’s theme in Alameda County is “Strength in Neighbors.”
“Warriors fans know better than anyone that there is strength in numbers,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement.
The fundraiser, Food Bank Finals Challenges, between the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the Alameda County Community Food Bank will continue until the end of the NBA Finals.
The Alameda County Community Food Bank serves 20 percent of county residents.
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank serves one in six residents in six counties in northeast Ohio, according to food bank officials.
The two food banks serve 885,00 people each year. That amount of people can fill the Warriors’ home Oracle Arena and the Cavaliers’ Quicken Loans Arena a combined 22 times.
To donate to the Alameda County Community Food Bank visit www.accfb.org/FoodBankFinals. To donate to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank
visit www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org/23for23.
For every dollar collected by the Alameda County Community Food Bank, officials can provide $6 worth of food. Officials with the Greater Cleveland Food Bank can provide four meals for every dollar collected.Bay City News contributed to this report.