NFLPA PLAYER MEMBERS GIVE BACK FOR THANKSGIVING
NFLPA PLAYER MEMBERS GIVE BACK FOR THANKSGIVING
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In the midst of a year that has presented numerous challenges to people across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the NFL Players Association stepped up to support their communities and ensure that they had a special Thanksgiving. The below list is just a sample of the many unique ways that current NFL players spread the holiday spirit by pouring back into their hometowns and team cities:
Rodney Adams (Chicago Bears)
Held a turkey dinner giveaway in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jonathan Allen (Washington Football Team)
He and his wife, Hannah, provided Thanksgiving meals for 100 families in the public housing project at the Clay Terrace Family Success Center in Washington, D.C.
Geno Atkins (Cincinnati Bengals)
He and his wife Kristen hosted their third annual Atkins Week of Giving Thanks, surprising hundreds of individuals in Cincinnati and across the country with Thanksgiving gift cards, meal cards and more. The Atkins provided nearly $50,000 in surprises for frontline workers, essential employees, educators, delivery drivers and more.
Anthony Averett (Baltimore Ravens)
Provided thirty $50 grocery store gift cards to families in his hometown in New Jersey so they could purchase items for Thanksgiving.
Justin Bethel (New England Patriots)
He and his Beating All Odds Foundation donated 1,400 turkeys and 40,000 pounds of fresh food to the Lawrence, Massachusetts community.
Lynn Bowden (Miami Dolphins)
Gifted the boys basketball team at East High School in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio with new shoes, backpacks and socks.
Jacoby Brissett (Indianapolis Colts)
Partnered with T.E.A.M. Elam and the City of Riviera Beach to host a Thanksgiving feast during a drive-thru meal giveaway in West Riviera Beach, Florida.
Trent Brown (Las Vegas Raiders)
His TB77 Cares foundation teamed up with the Albany Police Department to distribute 200 turkeys, drive-thru style, to families and police officers in Albany, Georgia.
DeForest Buckner (Indianapolis Colts)
Hosted a Thanksgiving meal giveaway for 100 underprivileged families at the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside.
Ben Burr-Kiven (Seattle Seahawks)
To make virtual learning more equitable in Seattle, he hosted a virtual meet-and-greet and surprise headphones donation for more than 500 at-risk youth of the Atlantic Street Center in Seattle.
Deon Bush (Chicago Bears)
Provided meals to more than 70 people from the SOS Children’s Village of Chicago.
Malcolm Butler (Tennessee Titans)
The Week 11 NFLPA Community MVP gave thanks to three special communities: his team city of Nashville (free COVID testing and 200 grocery gift cards), his hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi (200 grocery gift cards) and his college ($5,000 donation to University of West Alabama’s hunger/pandemic relief fund).
Kevin Byard (Tennessee Titans)
The Week 0 NFLPA Community MVP donated more than 100 meals to families at Jones Paideia Elementary School in Nashville through his Byard Family Legacy Fund and Eat Well Nashville.
Jason Cabinda (Detroit Lions)
Provided a gift card to a local Detroit family in need so they could shop for food for their Thanksgiving dinner.
Kenny Clark (Green Bay Packers)
The Clark Family Dreams Do Come True Foundation hosted its annual coat and toy giveaway to families this holiday season, helping more than 200 underprivileged kids and families in San Bernardino who have faced hardships due to the pandemic.
Tarik Cohen (Chicago Bears)
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl alum partnered with Franklin County Interfaith Council for a Thanksgiving food and coat distribution that provided meals for more than 350 families.
Landon Collins (Washington Football Team)
The Week 3 NFLPA Community MVP and his Humble Path Foundation partnered with Empowered Mums to provide more than 30 families with Thanksgiving meals.
Amari Cooper (Dallas Cowboys)
Hosted a Thanksgiving Turkey Drive in the Coconut Grove community, where 300 meals were distributed to those in need.
Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders)
Worked with Las Vegas Gaudin Ford for “12 Days of Raiders” event and Noah’s Animal House to raise funds for all of the services it provides.
Vinny Curry (Philadelphia Eagles)
Teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters, ACME and the ACME Foundation to deliver more than 100 Thanksgiving dinners and community care packages to families in need throughout Philadelphia.
Lavonte David (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
The Lavonte Legends Foundation hosted its inaugural Thanksgiving Giveaway at his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School, where he provided turkeys and four side dishes for 200 families.
Gabriel Davis (Buffalo Bills)
Donated hot meals from local restaurants to the Sanford Police and Fire Department in his hometown. He also donated money to his high school alma mater to support its football team so they can have bus transportation to and from its playoff games.
Thomas Davis Sr. (Washington Football Team)
Donated 200 individually packed meals to local non-profit Mobile Hope.
Dion Dawkins (Buffalo Bills)
Teamed up with Rooted In Love to feed more than 550 Western New York families for Thanksgiving.
Kenyan Drake (Arizona Cardinals)
Hosted a Thanksgiving celebration via Zoom with the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley – Glibert Club.
Carlos Dunlap (Seattle Seahawks)
His foundation partnered with the North Charleston Police Department in South Carolina to feed hundreds of people in the community through his Day of Thanksgiving event.
Leonard Fournette and LeSean McCoy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Helped provide 500 Bay-area families with full Thanksgiving meals through a food distribution event with Feeding Tampa Bay.
Zaire Franklin and Kenny Moore II (Indianapolis Colts)
Teamed up to host a Thanksgiving meal giveaway at the Edna Martin Christian Center Leadership and Legacy Center
Myles Gaskin (Miami Dolphins)
Hosted a virtual meet-and-greet and surprise headphones donation for more than 500 foster children (ages 6-17) in Miami. His efforts were aimed to empower underprivileged youth and make virtual learning more equitable.
Will Gholston (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Donated 900 turkeys to local families through two food distribution events with Feeding Tampa Bay as well as an additional 1,100 turkeys in his hometown of Detroit.
Jared Goff (L.A. Rams)
Committed $1,000 for every touchdown pass and $5,000 for every Rams win to fund literacy programs and education equity in the Inglewood Unified School District.
Lawrence Guy (New England Patriots)
For the 10th year, the Lawrence Guy Family Foundation hosted three different Thanksgiving giveaways across the New England area that fed more than 3,000 people. Each family received groceries for their Thanksgiving meals and a $20 gift card.
Shaun Dion Hamilton (Washington Football Team)
Joined forces with teammate Thomas Davis Sr. to provide 500 Thanksgiving meals to families in need in Montgomery, Alabama.
Kelvin Harmon (Washington Football Team)
Secretly surprised 100 shoppers at random with $50 gift cards at his hometown grocery store in New Jersey.
Casey Hayward (L.A. Chargers)
His Hayward Hands foundation teamed up with United Way of Orange County to hand out 300 ready-made Thanksgiving meals to low-income families with students at Jonas E. Salk Elementary School in Anaheim, California.
Cam Heyward (Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Week 1 NFLPA Community MVP continued his “Pittsburgh Is Stronger Than Cancer” T-shirt campaign to promote cancer awareness and raise funds to help with research and aid families dealing with hardships created by the intensive treatment.
Tyreek Hill (Kansas City Chiefs)
Teamed up with Harvesters Community Food Network to distribute turkeys, hams and chickens as well as a special message to 150 local families in need.
Mike Jackson Sr. (New England Patriots)
Hosted a Thanksgiving Turkey Drive in which 100 boxes of food items were handed out at the Ensley Rec Center through his R.A.C.E (Rising Above Your Current Environment) Foundation.
Derwin James (L.A. Chargers)
Hosted a Thanksgiving meal distribution for families in his hometown of Haines City, Florida.
Grady Jarrett (Atlanta Falcons)
Provided funding for homeless men at the Shepherd’s Inn to receive a hot Thanksgiving meal.
Malcolm Jenkins (New Orleans Saints)
The NFLPA Executive Committee member and his foundation are helping more than 380,000 individuals suffering from food insecurity across New Orleans through the Get Ready Fest – Feeding The 504. Through donations to Second Harvest Food Bank and Broadmoor Food Pantry, meals will be provided to those in need during the holiday season, feeding 504 families a month throughout November and December.
Taiwan Jones (Buffalo Bills)
He and his Forever Hungry charity teamed up with local non-profit Candles in the Sun to serve 500 hot meals, bottles of water, 300 medical masks, 300 winter weatherization kits and 250 dental hygiene kits to those in need throughout Buffalo.
Dion Jordan (San Francisco 49ers)
Partnered with the Holy Family Day Home to provide toys and essential hygiene products for the kids there, furthering the foundation’s mission to provide affordable, high-quality early childhood education and family support services.
Christian Kirksey (Green Bay Packers)
Provided 300 servings of his Thanksgiving favorites of turkey, cranberry sauce, macaroni & cheese and green beans to those in need in the Green Bay community through Paul’s Pantry.
Jarvis Landry (Cleveland Browns)
Hosted his inaugural Jarvis Landry Thanksgiving Food Drive, a drive-through food distribution that donated approximately 300 Thanksgiving meals to local families in need through his Building Winners Foundation and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank.
Rashad Lawrence (Arizona Cardinals)
Provided 25 Thanksgiving meals for families in need, feeding more than 100 people in his hometown of Monroe, Louisiana.
Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts)
Hosted a Thanksgiving event in his hometown of Lake View, South Carolina that provided meals for 100 families in need.
Taylor Lewan (Tennessee Titans)
His Feeding Nashville foundation joined about a dozen volunteers to distribute nearly 200 hot meals at Nissan Stadium as well as 100 pre-packaged meals at Home Street Home to feed a total of 700 people.
Marcus Mariota (Las Vegas Raiders)
His Motiv8 Foundation provided a full Thanksgiving feast for about 550 people at two homeless shelters of the Institute for Human Services (HIS) Hawaii.
Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City Chiefs)
His foundation hosted its fifth annual “Tyrann’s Turkeys Thanksgiving” event along with HopeKC, during which 500 turkeys and trimmings were donated to underprivileged families in Kansas City.
Rodney McLeod (Philadelphia Eagles)
The Week 2 NFLPA Community MVP and his wife, Erika, through their Change Our Future Foundation distributed 1,000, 22-pound turkeys and 40,000 pounds of fresh produce to seven community organizations throughout Philadelphia neighborhoods and Woodbury Township in New Jersey.
Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
Donated 500 meals to kids and hospital workers at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
Derrick Nnadi (Kansas City Chiefs)
Worked with the local Boys & Girls Club to donate 100 Thanksgiving meals that fed 400 people from families in need. He also provided food for 500 people at the Boys & Girls Club in his hometown of Virginia Beach.
Dezmon Patmon and Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis Colts)
Teamed up to host a Thanksgiving meal giveaway at the Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center, where full Thanksgiving meals were distributed to 100 families in need.
Cordarrelle Patterson (Chicago Bears)
Provided Thanksgiving dinner for 20 families in need from his old elementary school, Richmond Drive Elementary in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Corey Peters (Arizona Cardinals)
Through the Peters Educational Enrichment Project, he distributed turkeys to students and families in the South Pointe School District in Phoenix alongside Harvest Compassion Center.
Adrian Peterson (Detroit Lions)
The Adrian & Ashley Peterson Family Foundation presented a check to Gleaners Community Food Bank and Feeding America that will provide 100,000 meals to families struggling with food insecurity.
Patrick Peterson (Arizona Cardinals)
Hosted the fourth annual Patrick Peterson Thanksgiving Giveaway, a holiday food drive where his foundation partners with United Food Bank to distribute meals to local families in need in Mesa, AZ.
Isaac Rochell (L.A. Chargers)
Joined forces with teammate Trai Turner to provide Thanksgiving meals to 450 families in the Santa Ana Unified School District through Rochell’s non-profit, Local Human.
Tim Settle (Washington Football Team)
Partnered with Northern Virginia Family Services to provide 800 Thanksgiving meals and hold a Zoom talk with families in need in his hometown of Manassas.
Isaiah Simmons (Arizona Cardinals)
Provided meals for families at a local Boys & Girls Club.
Roquan Smith (Chicago Bears)
Covered the cost of the meals for 120 families during The Dovetail Project’s fourth annual Thanksgiving food and coat giveaway for Black and Hispanic fathers ages 17 to 24. He also purchased turkeys and sides for 500 families in his hometown of Macon County, Georgia in partnership with the local Boys & Girls Club.
Tyrod Taylor (L.A. Chargers)
He and his foundation hosted a turkey drive in his hometown of Hampton, Virginia, where nearly 200 turkeys and bagged groceries were distributed. He also shared a video message and provided custom cupcakes, hand sanitizers, autographed cards and Tyrod Taylor Foundation T-shirts for more than 200 people at the Orange County Rescue Mission in California.
Adam Thielen (Minnesota Vikings)
He and his wife Caitlin donated 2,000 turkeys that provided more than 20,000 meals to underprivileged families in Minnesota.
Desmond Trufant (Detroit Lions)
His foundation, Tacoma Kidz, hosted its annual turkey giveaway that fed more than 100 families affected by the pandemic.
Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks)
Donated turkeys and sides to underprivileged communities in Seattle for Thanksgiving.
Denzel Ward (Cleveland Browns)
He and his Make Them Know Your Name (MTKYN) Foundation stepped in to donate 70 turkeys so that Eastwood Day Treatment Center could hold its annual Thanksgiving feast for families in need. Each basket included information on how to measure and understand blood pressure numbers in an effort to positively impact the health disparities in the Black community.
Anthony Walker and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis Colts)
The linebacker duo hosted a Thanksgiving meal giveaway at the Boner Fitness & Learning Center for 100 local families in need.
Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans)
Fed roughly 450 families from the Pro Vision School in Houston each with two turkeys and two boxes of fresh produce/vegetables.
Carson Wentz (Philadelphia Eagles)
His Thy Kingdom Crumb food truck distributed 200 turkeys and sides to families in need through a contactless curbside event just outside Philadelphia.
Jace Whittaker (Arizona Cardinals)
Donated $2,500 to families in need and teachers at Gililland Middle School in Tempe, accounting for 40 family-sized meals.
Arizona Cardinals Offensive Line
Donated 1,500 turkeys to St. Mary’s Food Bank for families critically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
McTevin Agim, Jake Butt, Tyrie Cleveland, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Jeff Driskel, DaeSean Hamilton, Joe Jones, Sam Martin, Michael Ojemudia, Tim Patrick, Malik Reed, Brett Rypien, Justin Simmons, Derrek Tuskza, Josh Watson (Denver Broncos)
Collectively donated 567 turkeys to individuals and families in need through Denver Rescue Mission.
Elliott Fry, Josh Harris, Sterling Hofrichter, Younghoe Koo (Atlanta Falcons)
The team’s specialists contributed funding to My Sister’s House for homeless women and children to receive a hot Thanksgiving meal for the holidays.
Marlon Humphrey, Mark Ingram II, Matthew Judon, Pernell McPhee, Marcus Peters, Jimmy Smith and Ronnie Stanley (Baltimore Ravens)
Joined forces to purchase 1,000 turkeys and sides for families in the Baltimore area.
Andrew Norwell, Ben Bartch, A.J. Cann, Brandon Linder, KC McDermott, Tyler Shatley and Jawaan Taylor (Jacksonville Jaguars)
Provided turkeys and food supplies for 500 less fortunate families as part of the team’s second annual “Turkey Time with the O-Line” through the Andrew Norwell Foundation.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive line
Provided more than 1,100 full Thanksgiving meals for the less fortunate at the 14th annual Turkey Time with the O-Line,” which is the team’s longest-running, player-led holiday initiative.
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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 2020. Learn more at www.nflpa.com.