Jets tackle Kelvin Beachum will take some time away from football on Tuesday when he goes to the Food Bank for New York City to prepare and serve meals to senior citizens as part of World Hunger Day.
It is part of a campaign by Beachum for World Hunger Day to raise awareness and money to fight hunger. Beachum is holding a match challenge for five food banks in places he has lived. He donated $5,000 each to food banks in New York, Texas (two), Florida and Pennsylvania and if his donation is matched he will double his donation.
Beachum grew up in Texas and played college football at SMU before playing for the Steelers, Jaguars and Jets in the NFL.
“I wanted to do something special,” Beachum said. “I wanted to do something for those communities that have impacted me along the way.”
Beachum’s Jets teammates have donated and he said the food banks in central Texas and New York are at or near the $5,000 goal for donations.
Fighting hunger is something important to Beachum, who said there were times during his childhood where he did not have enough to eat.
“The numbers are staggering,” Beachum said. ““You have millions on top of millions of kids that may not be able to eat breakfast before they go to school,” Beachum said. “That’s something I want to find a way not to just talk about. Everybody knows about these problems. These are basic human needs. But I want to actually do something about them. That’s where my heart is.”
On Tuesday, he will serve meals at the Food Bank, something he does about four times a year.
For more information on how to donate, go to kelvinbeachum.com.
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