With the 30th anniversary of the infamous "catch" a few months away, I'm reminded that a "never give up" attitude has carried me through many challenges over the years.
Fortunately for me, never giving up was about what happened on the field, but for nearly 50 million Americans who don't always know where their next meal may come from, persistence and never giving up is about making sure their families have food to eat. That's 1 out of every 6 Americans; a staggering number of people.
The faces of hungry Americans might surprise you -- in fact, they could be the family living next door. They are adults, children, and seniors; they live in urban, rural, and suburban communities. They are people who, for a variety reasons, simply cannot make ends meet in these difficult economic times, and are forced to go without basic food sustenance. Many of them are considered "working poor" -- people who have jobs but who still are faced with the choice between a meal and medical care. Tragically, children make up 17 million of those who are hungry in our country, which is particularly terrible as insufficient nutrition at a young age puts children at risk for illness and weakens their developing immune systems as well as their ability to learn and grow. It seems unconscionable that anyone should be facing food insecurity in this land of plenty.
That is why I am so happy to be back with Kraft Foods again this year for their Huddle to Fight Hunger campaign. Last year's program successfully delivered nearly 21 million meals to Feeding America food banks across the country. This year, our goal expands to an ambitious 25 million meal donation to Feeding America*, which will conclude at the second annual Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl in San Francisco on New Year's Eve Day. Last year's game was great, and I am sure this year's -- between Army and a Pac-12 team -- will be exciting as well.
We just kicked off the program in my hometown, San Francisco, with a delivery to the San Francisco Food Bank and I'm looking forward to helping ensure Kraft Foods can make more of those deliveries all season long.
Of course, you don't have to be a professional football player to huddle up. Anyone can get involved and help Kraft Foods hit its donation goal. By simply "liking" www.Facebook.com/KraftFightHunger, you will help donate a meal to Feeding America, the country's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Once you join the Huddle, you can also play the "2 Minute Trivia Drill" game as many times as you like, enter your zip code and you'll trigger meal donations for your local Feeding America food bank.
I ask you to join me in supporting this cause and do your part to ensure no one has to go hungry again.
* The monetary equivalent of meals will be donated. $0.14 equals one meal secured by Feeding America on behalf of local food banks.