For the San Francisco 49ers second "Community Tuesday" of the 2022 season, a group of 19 49ers players joined owners Jenna York and Mara York to assemble 500 Find Your Anchor boxes.
Find Your Anchor is a grassroots movement aimed at suicide prevention, awareness and education. A Find Your Anchor box includes mental health resources filled with warmth, love and hope for those who need it most.
The boxes are sent to individuals who are struggling, with reminders to "establish an anchor – the seemingly small things in our life that bring us joy. Things in our life that make us happy. Things that are worth living for when there are tough days." Once the resources from a Find Your Anchor box helps one individual, that person can add a message of their own and share it with another person who is in need of hope. The box's mission is to save lives throughout its journey.
Before the 49ers players assembled the boxes, the group heard from Find Your Anchor founder, Ali Borowsky, as she shared her inspiring story of how surviving multiple attempts led her to create a box of resources that she wishes she had received during her darkest days.
"Making boxes for suicide prevention is really special and it needs to be talked about more," linebacker Fred Warner said. "It's just all about starting the conversation. These events are always a great opportunity for us to get out in the community and help others."
The players included a heartfelt handwritten note before sending it to someone in need in the Bay Area community and others across the country. Each player also took home a box to pass along to a person in need.
"It's a wonderful cause helping with suicide prevention and suicide awareness," tight end George Kittle said. "We're making these boxes full of hope, a box trying to help people find their anchor and find something they can enjoy every single day."
While packaging the mental health resources with care, 49ers players shared what their personal "anchors" were in their lives:
"I'm a musical person, so every time I need a stress relief or need to get my mind off of things, I normally go play the drums," running back Jeff Wilson Jr. said. "I've been doing that since I was two years old, so every time I can do that, it feels like I can leave my problems and keep on going with my day."
"One of my biggest anchors, besides my family and wife, would be my lovely dog, Deenie," Kittle said. "She's a Bernese Mountain Dog Poodle mix, a Bernedoodle. She is lovey and fluffy and I love her so much."
