ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Jaguars defensive tackle and Walter Payton Man of the Year award winner Arik Armstead hosted a Thanksgiving food drive on Tuesday.
Thirty-one families from Lakeside Elementary School in Orange Park received a Thanksgiving feast thanks to the Armstead Academic Project.
“Hoping that everyone has a happy holiday,” Armstead said. “We know that holiday times can be rough...so taking that stress out of it for families so that they can enjoy each other’s company and enjoy a meal is very important to us.”
The Jaguars players, along with their significant others, packed the non-perishable items last week. Then, on Tuesday, faculty at the school packed the turkeys and final ingredients in each food kit.
Defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and defensive lineman Matt Dickerson joined Armstead in distributing each kit so that every family can enjoy a holiday feast.
“It’s nice for us to know that we’re sending food home because there aren’t meals at school,” Lakeside Elementary assistant principal Beth Warner said. “So they’re going to be missing out...It’s nice to know the families have something that can be taken off their plate.”
Lakeside Elementary’s food initiative already distributes boxes of food weekly for families in need, and this week, families got a full Thanksgiving meal with items ranging from turkey, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, to rolls, a pie, and more.