JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – ‘Tis the season for giving and giving back to the local community.
The best part about Thanksgiving is the feast. On Tuesday, Jaguars running back D’Ernest Johnson hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for local kids at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida.
“To give back to the community,” Johnson said. “Give them a nice, good Thanksgiving meal. A lot of kids don’t have that family where they can provide a whole Thanksgiving meal together so I thought it just would be a great idea just to have a Thanksgiving meal for the kids.”
Over 100 kids ages 6 to 18 years old celebrated the holiday early with Johnson. This is the second year that Johnson’s charity, the Slow Grind Foundation, hosted this event at the same location.
The food was catered by Mai Oui Catering. Kids enjoyed a full Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, string beans and bread.
“I came in here and you know all the kids are nothing but smiles so it’s just a great feeling because I was once in their shoes growing up and looking up to the guys and just trying to meet NFL guys and just being excited to see them,” Johnson said. “It’s always a great feeling just to give back and see the joy on the kids.”
The Slow Grind Foundation started two and a half years ago to give back to the community for those in need and to empower youth.
The NFL YET Club was built on the Northside with money generated from the 2005 Super Bowl, which Jacksonville hosted.