NFL QB’s Stroud and Young Headline Saturday Giveaway at Brookside Park

The first two quarterbacks taken in the 2023 National Football League (NFL) Draft are listed as special guests at a free event for wildfire-displaced families Saturday, July 18 at Brookside Park in Pasadena, according to an announcement from the organizers.

C.J. Stroud, who quarterbacks the Houston Texans, and Bryce Young, who plays for the Carolina Panthers, were the number one and number two selections of that draft and have been friends since their high school years in Southern California, the organizers said. Each has brought a foundation to the event: the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles is hosting the day in partnership with the C.J. Stroud Foundation and the Young 9 Foundation, which Young established.

The event, called “Dena Day: Pass It Forward,” runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Jackie Robinson Memorial Field, according to the announcement. Attendees will receive backpacks and essential items, the organizers said, and the day will include food trucks, shelf-stable food, fresh produce, inflatables, games and family activities. A ceremony will honor local fire department personnel and community members who responded during the fire, according to the announcement. The organizers listed Lowe’s and Trader Joe’s as sponsors, though the announcement did not detail each sponsor’s role.

Families who come for the quarterbacks may leave with something that lasts longer than the afternoon. On its Fire Response page, the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles, which describes itself as “a center for community well-being,” says it is offering free household memberships through the end of 2026 to families whose homes were destroyed or made unlivable by the wildfires. Eligibility is confirmed by documentation such as a letter from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or an insurance report, according to the organization, which says the memberships remain available through the end of the year. Saturday’s event ties into that standing relief program.

Recovery in the region remains active a year and a half after the Eaton Fire, which began January 7, 2025, in Altadena and neighboring Pasadena. The Pasadena Community Foundation launched its Eaton Fire Relief & Recovery Fund on January 8, 2025, and local nonprofits have continued distributing aid into 2026, providing food, case management and rebuilding assistance to households still navigating insurance, permits and housing.

The venue carries its own local history. Jackie Robinson Memorial Field was dedicated in 1988 at Brookside Park, Pasadena’s largest maintained park, which sits just south of the Rose Bowl along the Arroyo Seco. The field is named for the Pasadena-raised athlete who broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

The event is free and open to affected families at Jackie Robinson Memorial Field, 678 N. Arroyo Blvd. Parking is available in the park’s lots off Arroyo Boulevard; the announcement directs attendees to Lot I. The organizers said additional information is available at ymcaLA.org.