5th Annual Ben Abercrombie Day at El Jefe’s Taqueria

100% of sales benefit The Benson M. Abercrombie ’21 Fund – $127,000 raised in the first four years, expecting record breaking totals this year.

Pictured: Members of the Harvard football team pose with their teammate, Ben Abercrombie ’21-23, during the 4th Annual Ben Abercrombie Day at El Jefe’s Taqueria.

Date: Tuesday, December 6 — 100%  in-restaurant sales, online orders, delivery orders, and gift cards sales will be donated to The Abercrombie Fund.

Time: 8AM EST – 4AM EST

Location: El Jefe’s Taqueria – with entrances on both 14 Brattle Street and 7 JFK Street in Harvard Square, located in Cambridge,  MA 02138.

Please join the Harvard Varsity Club and El Jefe’s Taqueria for the fifth-annual Ben Abercrombie Day on Tuesday, December 6.

For 20 hours, from 8AM until 4AM, 100% of every penny from every in-person sale, online orders, delivery orders, and online gift card sales will be donated to The Abercrombie Fund.

3 ways you can participate in the 5th Abercrombie Day at El Jefe’s Taqueria and contribute to the Abercrombie Fund:

1. Come in to El Jefe’s, order online for pickup, or order delivery on Tuesday, December 6 and every penny of every sale will be donated to the Abercrombie Fund.
2. Purchase a gift card on Tuesday, December 6 and 100% of the value will be donated to The Abercrombie Fund.
3. Make a gift online by visiting www.harvardvarsityclub.org/AbercrombieFund.

The first four iterations of Abercrombie Day have resulted in more than $127,000 being donated to the Abercrombie Fund by El Jefe’s owner John Schall, with thousands of members of the Harvard community stopping by the restaurant to support Ben in his recovery.

For Schall, the challenges facing Ben and his family are all too familiar. 46 years ago his own brother, Mike Schall, a high school track star, was paralyzed in a car crash at the age of 18. That shared experience is what motivated him to start the fundraiser. And this isn’t Schall’s first time helping the family of a young athlete paralyzed by tragic events, as reported in 2011 by then columnist, and now editor, of the Boston Globe, Brian McGrory.

“I’m excited about the possibilities for this 5th Annual Ben Abercrombie fundraiser,” said John Schall, the owner of El Jefe’s Taquerias. “It will be the first year we have this fundraiser at our new Harvard Square store which is twice as big as the old store, and where we can get people through the line twice as fast. I’m hoping this will help us top last year’s record-breaking fundraiser by a lot! And we’re keeping the option for people not in town to participate by donating all online gift card sales that day to The Abercrombie Fund as well. So every HVC member can buy their gift card on Tues, December 6 and then they can use it when they come to town next. Let’s all Stand Up For Ben! “

“Ben Abercrombie Day at El Jefe’s is one of our favorite days each year,” Bob Glatz ’88, The Broadbent Family Executive Director of the Harvard Varsity Club, stated. “The generosity of John Schall and the staff at El Jefe’s continues to amaze me. We hope that thousands of students, alumni, faculty, staff, and members of the local community will join us in supporting the Abercrombie Fund.”

About The Benson M. Abercrombie ’21 Fund

Ben was a two-sport star in football and baseball at Hoover High School in Hoover, Alabama, helping the Buccaneers win Alabama 7A State Championships in both sports (football in 2014 & 2016, baseball in 2017). He was selected All-State first team at the end of his senior year. Upon arriving at Harvard, Ben quickly became one of the most respected and talented players on the football field and was the only first-year on the defensive side of the ball to make the travel squad for the season opener at the University of Rhode Island. In his collegiate debut, Ben made a tackle that resulted in a spinal cord injury and caused him to lose mobility and feeling throughout his body.

Ben is continuing his Harvard education while remaining a member of the Harvard football program. He and his family continue to face an uphill battle, and the Harvard Varsity Club has committed to supporting Ben, and his family, throughout their journey. The Abercrombie Fund provides support to the Abercrombie family and any future Harvard undergraduate student-athlete who incurs a severe or catastrophic injury while competing for the Crimson while enrolled in Harvard College.

Please know that support means a great deal to Ben and his parents, Marty and Sherri, as Ben continues his Harvard education and recovery. The Abercrombie Fund continues to provide the funding for many important activities for Ben, including:

• Air medical transport between Ben’s home in Alabama and Boston so Ben can safely travel to Harvard for school semesters and back home for school breaks.
• Ben’s physical therapy at Journey Forward in Boston while Ben is at school.
• The purchase of key accessible equipment like the stand-up wheelchair that Ben uses most of the time.
• Travel to Chicago for treatment at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. Ben’s experience in Chicago this summer was very beneficial and led to his diaphragm working again! Dr. Perez wants Ben to return to Chicago early next year to hopefully make more progress weaning Ben off a ventilator. Read more about Ben’s amazing progress this summer here.

About the Harvard Varsity Club

The Harvard Varsity Club is a group of undergraduate student-athletes, alumnae/i, parents, and friends who, since 1886, have rallied together to foster the ideals, preserve the traditions, and advance the interests of Harvard Athletics.

By bringing all sports and all generations together we fulfill our mission as ‘Your Team for Life^®.’

And as athletes, we know that what we can accomplish together, as a team, is so much greater than what we can accomplish individually. | LEARN MORE

— Your Team for Life® —