With the holiday season in full swing, the 49ers put a festive – and delicious - spin on their weekly Community Mondays presented by Dignity Health, serving a Thanksgiving feast to over 175 local individuals in need. At the Boccardo Reception Center, Santa Clara County's largest homeless service center and shelter, players including WR Torrey Smith, RB Shaun Draughn and WR Anquan Boldin, their families were joined by members of the York family and 49ers COO Al Guido to serve a Thanksgiving meal provided by Famous Dave's Pit BBQ & Catering along with beverages provided by Pepsi.
"It means a lot to me … to be able to give back," said 2014 Walter Payton Man of the Year finalist Anquan Boldin as he delivered a second helping of cornbread and turkey to a smiling beneficiary.
Other players who served heaping plates of traditional holiday fare such as turkey, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and more to those in need included G/T Alex Boone, TE Garrett Celek, S Antione Bethea, P Bradley Pinion, LB Michael Wilhoite, LB Gerald Hodges, NT Garrison Smith, C Marcus Martin, TE Garrett Celek, G Brandon Thomas, QB Dylan Thompson, TE Blake Bell, LB Marcus Rush, and RB Kendall Gaskins.
The Boccardo Reception Center, operated by HomeFirst, serves homeless adults year-round, providing emergency shelter and an array of supportive services. Through award-winning housing programs and effective support services, HomeFirst improves the quality of life in our community for people in need by helping them eliminate barriers to permanent housing and stability. To learn more, please visit the website at http://www.homefirstscc.org.
San Francisco 49ers personnel and their families teamed up to serve meals to 175 community guests in need at a local shelter.
OTHER HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Holidays traditionally bring people together, and NFL players are no exception. During the football season, San Francisco 49ers WR Anquan Boldin and St. Louis Rams CB Janoris Jenkins are division rivals, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving, they teamed up for the 10th Annual AQ81 Thanksgiving Giveaway. On November 18, in their hometown of Pahokee, FL, the duo donated over 500 turkeys and sides.
On November 16, S Antoine Bethea partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties in an effort to help feed hungry families during the holidays and all year long, as a part of the largest Holiday Food and Fund Drive in the country. Second Harvest Food Bank partners with nearly 330 nonprofit agencies to provide food at more than 700 sites throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties and depends on donations to remain one of only a few food banks in the nation that does not charge its partners for the food it provides.WR Torrey Smith authored a great blog post highlighting why he is thankful and challenged fans to share their reasons to give thanks. So, what are you thankful for?
