With professional sports ground to a halt, a number of athletes are pitching in to help others get through the pandemic. Several Chiefs players, for example, have donated thousands of free meals to Harvesters.
Drew Brees, an outspoken Christian who plays quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, and his wife have pledged $5 million to help the state of Louisiana. He also is leveraging his relationships with several companies to prepare and deliver more than 10,000 meals a day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to help children on meal programs, seniors and families in need.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1243204533779652610
“Let’s all do our part, maintain hope and get through this together,” the Super Bowl winning quarterback wrote in a post published Thursday on Instagram.
“After considerable research and conversations with local organizations, we will be mobilizing our partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Smalls Sliders and Waitr to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to children on meal programs, seniors, and families in need,” he continued.
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As the virus continues to spread throughout the country, New Orleans is emerging as the latest U.S.-based hotspot for the pandemic. In Louisiana, there are now more than 2,300 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and nearly 1,000 of them are in New Orleans. At least 83 people have died from the virus.
Gov. John Bel Edwards said, “It is still impossible to know exactly how long the COVID-19 pandemic will impact Louisiana, but what we do know is that we have more cases per capita than every state except New York and Washington.”
According to Dr. Joshua Denson, a pulmonary and critical care physician at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans, the rapid spread of the infection in Louisiana likely came from Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. “Someone brought it here,” he said, “and then it starts spreading slowly.”
Earlier this month, Saints head coach Sean Payton revealed he had been diagnosed with COVID-19. In a tweet, he said he has experienced only mild symptoms and has not experienced any respiratory distress.
Brees, who is a devout Christian, signed a two-year extension with the Saints last week that is worth roughly $50 million, Sports Illustrated reported.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice
