As a 6-foot-3, 316-pound offensive lineman, Kelvin Beachum admittedly eats a lot of food. But greed is not what fuels the large appetite of the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman. If anything, it’s a constant reminder of the problem facing America, where more than 16 million children and 12 million families are going hungry.
The five-year veteran especially took that mission to heart during the holiday season, pouring his time and resources into families across three different parts of the country and earning Week 15 NFLPA Community MVP honors along the way.
Beachum’s outreach tour began on Dec. 13, when he visited Tiger Academy to host a holiday pizza party for students who are excelling in reading at the Jacksonville school.
As a seventh-round draft pick who quickly worked his way up the depth chart — first with the Pittsburgh Steelers and now with the Jaguars – Beachum shared three lessons that he has learned along the way: Give great effort; communicate any needs that you have; and listen, because listening is a skill.
He went on to award scholarships to three young men from the Johnson YMCA to attend winter session at Camp Immokalee in December.
“God calls us to serve our communities,” Beachum said. “In glorifying Him, I feel compelled to encourage others, especially young people, by advocating education, faithful devotion and being of service to others.”
The left tackle’s faithful devotion to his hometown of Mexia, Texas is often on display, as he sponsors a monthly mobile food pantry. On Dec. 15, in partnership with the Central Texas Food Bank, Beachum held a special holiday distribution that provided turkeys and fresh food for 147 households.
Two days later, Beachum was back at it, sponsoring a food distribution that provided turkeys for families in the northeast Florida community.
“While nearly 43 million Americans still confront hunger on a daily basis, we can realistically hope to see the end of hunger in our lifetime,” Beachum said. “Each action taken to support those facing food insecurity helps in our quest to end hunger, one community at a time.”
Since entering the NFL in 2012, Beachum has made an impact across both the country and the world, partnering with STEM education and hunger relief programs in Pittsburgh, California and Texas. In 2015, he visited with Congress in Washington, D.C. to address ending global hunger, and last year, Beachum visited Honduras to help the World Vision program install computer labs at area schools.
“I was raised in a family where serving the community was a daily routine,” Beachum said. “It is a blessing to be able to provide hope and love to those who need it most.”
Read more here