Happy Thanksgiving Faithful! This day is one spent with family and friends, eating, drinking, watching football, and reflecting on what we have to be thankful for. But that is not the case for everyone. Many of our fellow men and women are down on their luck and on the street. Therefore, it is also a time to give back, which is not lost on the San Francisco 49ers.
“It’s just cool to give back to the community and those that are less fortunate than us, especially during the holiday season, the giving season,” said offensive lineman Trent Brown.
On Tuesday, November 21, several members of the 49ers and their families served Thanksgiving meals at Cityteam San Jose. With turkeys provided by Foster Farms, beverages provided by Pepsi, and side dishes provided by Famous Daves, over 300 people were served.
“When you see someone come in with a bag that has all of his worldly possessions, you know that whatever you or I or the team might be going through is all relative,” said 49ers’ General Counsel Hannah Gordon. “It is uplifting for us to be able to lessen someone else’s suffering for an evening.”
This sentiment is one that is not lost on the players.
“When you make it to the NFL, it puts you in a position where more people see you or look up to you,” said rookie tight end George Kittle. “So the fact that we could come here as a team…and give back to the team is an awesome experience. And the fact that we can do it all together says something about our culture as a team.”
It was a special evening, and it was incredible to see the excitement of the guests to meet some of their favorite Niners, while it was also pretty awesome too see what a good time the players were having.
“This is my first time doing this,” said running back Carlos Hyde. “it’s been fun. A lot of them are big 49er fans, so that makes it even more special. It’s been good.”
For the team at Cityteam, working with the 49ers is always a highlight of the year and the holiday season.
“The 49ers have been connected with Cityteam for a lot of years, and we love whenever they show up,” said City Director John Scott. “To come today with the size of this event has been fantastic. A real highlight was, as our guests were coming in, having the 49ers lined up, cheering them, greeting them with joy….It’s such a highlight to see men that they would see on television…to actually be here with them, is just so fun and encouraging to our guests.”
On Thanksgiving Day, Scott said that Cityteam will prepare 700 meals, as well as having hairdressers and barbers, while providing foot washing, new shoes, new socks, and coats.
These are the events and the days that I am especially proud to be a 49ers fan. Happy Thanksgiving and Go Niners!
The 49ers players serving meals on Tuesday were: QB C.J. Beathard, RB Carlos Hyde, DL DeForest Buckner, WR Trent Taylor, K Robbie Gould, S Eric Reid, TE George Kittle, WR Marquise Goodwin, LB Reuben Foster, OL Trent Brown, P Bradley Pinion, RB Raheem Mostert, LB Eli Harold, DL Leger Douzable, TE Garrett Celek, T Pace Murphy, S Chanceller James, WR Victor Bolden Jr, LB Dekoda Watson, WR DeAndre Carter, QB Nick Mullens, DB Dexter McCoil and DB Greg Mabin.
[NFL-49ers-footer]