ARIZONA'S ZACH ERTZ NAMED WEEK 9 NFLPA COMMUNITY MVP
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Zach Ertz has been named the Week 9 NFLPA Community MVP after launching a program to provide meals for Arizona food banks and breaking ground on his foundation’s House of Hope project to create a safe space for Philadelphia youth.
Last month’s trade that sent Ertz from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Arizona Cardinals has managed to benefit both teams’ communities. Just prior to his October 24 debut with the Cardinals, the ninth-year tight end announced the “Score More n’ Feed More” campaign, which is donating 5,000 meals to local food banks for every touchdown that Arizona scores for the rest of the season. So far, the team’s high-powered offense has helped provide 40,000 meals over the past two games.
Three days later, on the opposite side of the country, work began on the House of Hope project in North Philadelphia. Powered by a $100,000 contribution by Ertz and his wife, Julie, who plays for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, and a matching donation by their Ertz Family Foundation, the capital campaign aims to raise $900,000 for the remodeling and renovation of The Grace and Peace Community Fellowship building. Once completed, it will stand as a safe space featuring social services and resources, including a Wi-Fi café, kitchen for free daily meals and academic enrichment programs that will serve about 500 Philadelphia youth per week.
“My wife Julie and I are so honored to be recognized by the NFLPA for the work we are doing in the places that we love so much – Philadelphia and Arizona,” the Super Bowl champion and three-time Pro Bowler said. “Both places have embraced us and loved us, and we feel grateful to give back to everyone in such a meaningful way through the Ertz Family Foundation.”
Founded in 2018, the Ertz Family Foundation works to empower others by sharing faith, fostering learning through sports and education, and supporting family enrichment programs to build supportive communities.
A large focus of the non-profit’s efforts is combating food insecurity. In addition to its current campaign in Arizona, Ertz’s foundation previously donated $100,000 to Philabundance to help with the growing food insecurity issues in Philadelphia due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The sports power couple has also hosted a Thanksgiving food donation drive to provide meals for families in need.
Last December, Ertz’s foundation hosted its first Winter Giving Event, where he helped provide 1,000 hats, coats, gloves, socks hand warmers and meals to underserved populations in Philadelphia. The year 2020 also saw him host “Beyond The Field,” an initiative that provided 150 inner-city high school football players with the opportunity to showcase their talents to recruiters when schools and community athletics were shut down due to the pandemic.
In honor of Ertz being named this week’s Community MVP, the NFLPA will make a $10,000 contribution to his charity or foundation of choice. Our supporting partner, Aldine Sports Association, will create customized T-shirts and hoodies featuring his unique Community MVP superhero illustration made by HEARTLENT Group. The apparel will be sold on ASA’s website during the season, with a portion of all proceeds going to Ertz’s foundation or charity of choice.
Ertz, along with the other 2021 Community MVPs, will become eligible for this year’s Alan Page Community Award, which is the highest honor that the NFLPA can bestow upon a player.
The Community MVP campaign is part of the NFLPA’s continued efforts to support the year-round, civic outreach and engagement of its player members. Please visit the NFLPA Community MVP website to learn more about the program.
2021 NFLPA Community MVP winners:
Week 1: Justin Reid, Houston Texans
Week 2: Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: Emmanuel Sanders, Buffalo Bills
Week 4: Arik Armstead, San Francisco 49ers
Week 5: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Week 6: Von Miller, Denver Broncos
Week 7: Brett Hundley, Indianapolis Colts
Week 8: Chris Harris Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
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About the NFL Players Association:
The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League. Established in 1956, the NFLPA has a long history of assuring proper recognition and representation of players’ interests. The NFLPA has shown that it will do whatever is necessary to assure that the rights of players are protected—including ceasing to be a union, if necessary, as it did in 1989. In 1993, the NFLPA again was officially recognized as the union representing the players and negotiated a landmark Collective Bargaining Agreement with the NFL. The current CBA will govern the sport through the 2030 season. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.