Individual NFL alumni continue to support their neighbors and communities during these stressful days.
Former Pro Bowl tackle Joe Thomas (Browns; 2007-2017) and wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (Bengals, Browns; 2011-2016) are donating $50,000 to the Children’s Hunger Alliance in Ohio. They are matching every dollar in public contributions up to that amount but are committed to donating the $50,000 regardless of outside contributions.
“Children across the Ohio are in desperate need of these nutritious meals that they are missing because they are not in school or day care centers,” says Hawkins who attended Toledo (Ohio) University. “Joe and I want to use our podcast platform and our charitable community to help those kids in Ohio, a place that has been so incredible to our careers. We’re blessed to be able to help others.”
Thomas and Hawkins were Browns teammates for three years and still are together on a popular weekly “ThomaHawk Show” podcast.
“I have a number of educators in my family,” says Thomas who now works for NFL Network, “and one thing they said as soon as school was shut down was ‘Where are these kids who depend on meals, early breakfasts as well as lunches, going to get nourished?’. Hawk and I are just working to help their families make ends meet during these difficult times.”
We at NFL Alumni applaud Joe Thomas, Andrew Hawkins and all of you who are going above and beyond during this COVID-19 crisis. Please let us know about any of your former teammates who are doing extraordinary things in their community.
