MESA — The 2024 Arizona Cardinals rookie class volunteered at the United Food Bank on June 13, helping arrange meals as part of the Summer of a Million Meals event. The Cardinals have been partnered with United Food Bank since 2019, sending players, corporate partners, and team personnel to volunteer in the fight to battle hunger. Over those five years, the team has hosted numerous events that include food drives at State Farm Stadium and packing emergency bags of food at the warehouse.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“They are our No. 1 supporter,” said United Food Bank Director of Philanthropy Grace Bishara. “So whether they bring players, corporate partners, their rookies out, their cheerleaders, [Cardinals mascot] Big Red, they’re always a huge partner of ours.”
All 14 rookies visited the United Food Bank warehouse in Mesa to help pack emergency food bags. It quickly turned into a competition to see who could fill the most bags. It was a chance for the players not only to make a positive impact on the community but also to have fun and get to know each other better.
“It’s nice, it’s very real for us to come out here and experience the city,” said cornerback Elijah Jones. “Just being able to come out here and be able to give back in multiple different ways. It does not always have to be sports-related, sometimes it’s being able to go and actually impact the community.”
"It's great for us to come out here and experience the city. Just being able to come out here and be able to give back in multiple different ways."
CB Elijah Jones on the experience of packing food bags at @UnitedFoodBank with his fellow rookies.
#AZCardinals #BirdGang #NFL pic.twitter.com/2vv6u6aW9j— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) June 13, 2024
“I’m a big community guy, so this is a cool opportunity to establish ourselves in a new community and give back,” said safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. “World hunger is a big problem in this world, so for us to come out here and be able to compete in making bags was a cool part. Coming out here, building camaraderie, and also giving out to the community is a big plus.”
"This is a cool opportunity to come establish ourselves in a new community."
Arizona Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson reflected on the experience he had with his rookie teammates packing food bags at @UnitedFoodBank for those in need. #AZCardinals #NFL #BirdGang pic.twitter.com/4uBsv4930k
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) June 13, 2024
The United Food Bank was established in 1983 as a nonprofit venture in the East Valley and have since expanded eastward to Gila, Apache, Navajo, and Pinal counties. They collaborate with more than 120 partner agencies and programs to help feed families, children, and seniors. The United Food Bank gets their supply through multiple programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program, the Grocery Rescue Program, community food drives, and donations from individuals and corporations. They currently serve over 2.5 million Arizonans annually and distribute 52,000 meals on a daily basis.
If you want to support the United Food Bank, you can go to http://unitedfoodbank.org. There are different ways to support them, such as volunteering to pack emergency food bags like the Cardinals rookies, serving families at a distribution center, hosting food drives, or a monetary donation.
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Michael McDermott covers the Arizona Diamondbacks and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @MichaelMcDMLB
