“The last thing any child should have to worry about is being able to afford eating breakfast and lunch at school,” Richard Sherman’s foundation said
By Karen Mizoguchi, People
Richard Sherman gave back to his community ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.
The San Francisco 49ers cornerback, 31, helped eliminate the outstanding cafeteria debt at Cabrillo Middle School in Santa Clara, California.
“Richard Sherman pulled me from my shift as a docent in the 49ers Museum to give me a personal check for $7,491.27 to cover Cabrillo Middle School’s cafeteria debt,” school principal Stan Garber said in a statement. “Richard’s gesture created such good will for the 49ers that they went on to sack Aaron Roger’s [sic] and the Green Bay Packers the next day on national tv by a score of 37-8.”
The athlete’s foundation, Blanket Coverage – The Richard Sherman Family Foundation, also sent a letter to the school’s Nutrition Services Department, according to local news outlet KPIX.
“We have found that eliminating student lunch debt is one way to help assist students and their families in relieving some of the stress that comes with attending school on a daily basis,” the letter read. “The last thing any child should have to worry about is being able to afford eating breakfast and lunch at school; we aim to do our part in eliminating that obstacle.”
“It’s the most generous thing to happen for these kids, there’s plenty in need and he didn’t neglect them, it was the perfect way to give back and help them,” Garber told ABC News about the 60 students that will benefit from Sherman’s contribution. “It was the kindest most generous gesture.”
Following news of Sherman’s donation, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) named him as the Week 11 Community MVP. In addition to the over $7,000 to the Santa Clara school, earlier this month, Sherman wrote a check for over $20,000 to the Tacoma Public Schools in Tacoma, Washington to eliminate their student’s lunch debt, according to NBC Sports.
This isn’t the only act of kindness Sherman has generously performed this season.
The NFL star, who formerly played with the Seattle Seahawks, donated food to the Sumner High School food drive in Washington.
And earlier this month, Sherman also donated $5,000, via GoFundMe page, to help a Pop Warner team in his hometown of Compton, California travel to the National Youth Championship in Florida next month.
The Blanket Coverage Foundation was formed in 2013 “to provide students in low-income communities with school supplies and clothing so they can more adequately achieve their goals.”
The San Francisco 49ers play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
This article originally appeared in People.
