Sounders FC to Host Cookout to Benefit Malaria Prevention

Pre-match Fundraiser to Feature Johnsonville Bratwurst, Fresh off World's Largest Touring Grill.

RENTON, Wash. - The Sounders FC today announced the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill will provide fans the chance to enjoy a bratwurst before Thursday's match against D.C. United. Beginning at 5 p.m., fans are welcome to stop by the north lot of Qwest Field to purchase a brat from the world's largest touring grill, for a suggested minimum donation of $2.

Donations from bratwurst sales at Thursday's event will go to the campaign the team launched in May to raise funds and awareness for United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign - a global, grassroots initiative to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa.

Long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets are one of the most effective methods of preventing the spread of malaria. A $10 donation allows Nothing But Nets to purchase a net, deliver it to a family and educate the family on its use. Fans who donate $30 or more will receive a limited edition Drew Carey bobblehead.

In addition to the bratwurst cookout, the Nothing But Nets' "Buzz Tour" stops in Seattle to spread the buzz about saving lives by ending malaria. In the lead-up to the 2010 World Cup, to be played in Africa for the first time, where 90 percent of malaria deaths occur, Nothing But Nets and MLS teams across the country are Uniting Against Malaria to use the momentum around the World Cup, while all eyes are on Africa. Malaria infects more than 500 million people around the world each year, killing more than 1 million. Bed nets are an easy and cost-effective method of preventing the spread of the disease.

The Johnsonville Big Taste Grill can cook up to 750 brats at a time, or 2,500 per hour. It weighs in at 53,000 pounds and measures 6 feet in diameter, 20 feet tall and 65 feet in length. The Big Taste Grill travels throughout the country all year long, helping raise funds for a variety of local organizations. Since it was introduced in 1995, The Big Taste Grill has helped raise more than $3 million for organizations throughout North America.