Largest Gift to Giants Community Fund Brings Partnership Total to Over $1.6 Million and Helps Masons4Mitts Surpass $3 Million Statewide
Masons of California Masons4Mitts Check Presentation
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Masons of California proudly announced a record $163,775 donation to the Giants Community Fund through Masons4Mitts, providing 8,189 brand-new baseball mitts to Junior Giants players. Presented in honor of longtime Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow as he prepares to retire at the end of the 2026 season, the gift is the largest single-year Masons4Mitts contribution ever made to the Giants Community Fund.
The donation was presented at Oracle Park on Sept. 22 during a pregame home plate ceremony featuring Junior Giants players, California Masonic Foundation President Doug Ismail, Grand Master Garrett Chan, Prince Hall Masons of California Grand Master Robert Eagle-Spirit, Prince Hall Masons of California Deputy Grand Master Aaron Washington, Masons of California Grand Secretary Allan Casalou, and California Masonic Foundation Board Chairman Mark McNee. With this year’s gift, Northern California Masons have contributed over $1.6 million to the Giants Community Fund since the partnership began in 2009, providing more than 80,600 mitts for youth in underserved communities across California, Oregon and Nevada. The contribution also helped push Masons4Mitts beyond $3 million in statewide donations to youth summer enrichment programs since the campaign launched.
Krukow has been a longtime champion of Masons4Mitts and Junior Giants, regularly highlighting the program during Giants broadcasts alongside Duane Kuiper. Over the years, his enthusiastic on-air support—often delivered while holding and pounding a Masons-branded Junior Giants mitt—has helped introduce fans across Northern California to the campaign and the young people it serves.
“Kruk has been a true friend to Masons4Mitts, and his genuine enthusiasm for this program has meant so much to our members and the thousands of young players we have been able to support together,” said Doug Ismail, president of the California Masonic Foundation. “As he closes an extraordinary chapter with the Giants, we could not think of a more fitting way to thank him than by making our largest-ever gift to the Giants Community Fund in his honor. His voice has helped carry this work far beyond the ballpark, and his impact will continue to be felt every time a child takes the field with a mitt of their own.”
Since 2009, Masons4Mitts has been the signature fundraising campaign of the Masons of California. Working with team foundations at the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and San Diego Padres, the campaign helps young people participate in enrichment programs, giving them access to summer experiences with structure, mentorship and movement that research shows can help close the “summer slide” when away from school. While the mitt is largely symbolic, Masons4Mitts is a key partner in providing kids with a safe place to play, learn teamwork, and build habits around nutrition and academics. Today it’s the largest single donor to many of these team foundations.
Junior Giants, the flagship program of the Giants Community Fund, is a free, noncompetitive baseball and softball league serving more than 29,000 youth ages 5 to 18 each year across California, Oregon and Nevada. It removes barriers to participation by supplying equipment and a welcoming place to play, using the game itself to build character, promote health and support education.
“I’m incredibly humbled that the Masons of California chose to honor my retirement by putting new gloves in the hands of our Junior Giants,” said Mike Krukow. “They have stepped up to the plate year after year for the Giants Community Fund, and this record-setting gift reflects their generosity and belief in our mission. Baseball has given me more than I ever could have imagined, and I can’t think of a more meaningful way to celebrate this chapter than helping the next generation fall in love with the game.”
Masons4Mitts is one part of the Masons of California’s broader commitment to youth education and opportunity. The fraternity also supports Investment in Success Scholarships, which aid high school seniors overcoming challenges on their path to higher education; a statewide partnership with Raising a Reader, which brings literacy programs to underserved elementary schools; and the Johnny Ritchey Scholarship Program with the Padres Foundation, which helps first-generation, underserved students pursue their college dreams.
About Masons4Mitts
Since 2009, Masons4Mitts has been the signature public fundraising campaign of the Masons of California. Working with team foundations at the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, and San Diego Padres, Masons4Mitts rallies members of the fraternity to donate funds to purchase high-quality, leather baseball mitts to young ballplayers throughout the state—many of whom do not have access to such equipment otherwise. Through Masons4Mitts and these partners, young players are provided with a safe place to develop collaboration skills, learn about health and nutrition, build productive study habits, and more. Masons4Mitts has raised more than $3 million for youth baseball programs since 2009 and is the largest single donor to many of the state’s MLB team foundations. Learn more at masons4mitts.org.
About the Giants Community Fund
The Giants Community Fund uses baseball and softball to promote health, education and character development to propel youth in underserved regions to be positive forces in their communities. The Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity, is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors and sustained by contributions from individuals, businesses and foundations through a number of special partnerships and fundraisers. Since its inception in 1991, the Fund has donated $52 million to community efforts and has served more than 500,000 youth. For additional information on the Giants Community Fund, visit giantscommunityfund.org and follow on social media – X | Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/74ce9a10-1fae-4736-b581-d9b31e56e7c6
