As the holidays quickly approach, Indianapolis Colts playmakers Tyler Warren and Josh Downs are making an impact both on and off the field.
Partnering with Feeding America and FedEx, Warren and Downs joined FedEx team members to help pack and assemble meals at Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, a massive facility that helps provide 56 million pounds of food annually across 21 counties in the state.
The work that these two companies, as well as all of the volunteers working the food bank, are pivotal to providing meals to families struggling with food insecurity. However, according to Joshua Sovell, senior manager of corporate partnerships with Feeding America, it also requires the help of the community.
“Feeding America can’t do it alone,” Sovell said. “We need all of the great and thoughtful companies like FedEx, and generous individuals.”
According to data from Feeding America, there are nearly 100,000 food insecure children in the areas that they serve. Days like Tuesday make a big difference, with FedEx, Warren, Downs, and volunteers helping serve over 5,700 meals to families in a single day.
This is just part of the community outreach that Colts players like Warren and Downs participate in. For Warren, a rookie playing in his first NFL season while living in a new city, it was an opportunity to give back to the community that’s shown him so much love.
“This is my first time doing something like this, but being able to work with Feeding America feels like the right thing to do and that’s really the only reason you need to do something like this,” Warren told Stampede Blue. “It’s been fun and seeing so many people volunteer their time to run this has been awesome.”
That’s just part of what it’s meant to be with the Colts organization under the ownership of the Irsay family. Carlie Irsay-Gordon and her sister, Kalen Jackson, have continued to make sure that the team stays involved in community outreach.
“Carlie’s done a really good job of trying to do hold up [Jim’s] legacy while also doing it her way,” Warren said. “It’s been my first experience with an owner, but she’s been awesome and I know that she has our back with whatever we need.”
“She’ll just come to practice and have a normal conversation with you,” Downs shared. “It feels like a family in there, and it’s really tight knit.”
According to Downs, Carlie and Kalen make sure that each position group on the team finds at least one or two volunteer activities to participate in each season.
“We know with the platform we have and with the outreach that they have that it’s always available and a great thing for us to do,” Warren explained.
Both Colts playmakers partnered with FedEx to help with Feeding America, and the two companies have been working this year together to help address food insecurity across the country.
In fact, FedEx is donating $2,000 each week to Feeding America network food banks in the hometowns of the winners of the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Award program. On top of those donations, FedEx will be sending $20,000 to three winners at the end of the year for the season-long winners at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver or tight end, with the winners each week and season long being determined by a fan vote.
Colts running back Jonathan Taylor has already been a four-time recipient of the FedEx Ground Player of the Week this season, leading the NFL with 1,139 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns. Warren made sure to highlight the work that the Colts offensive line has done in helping Taylor already be recognized four times.
“Our entire O-line is just an All-Pro O-line”, Warren said. “They’ve been playing great this year.”
The Colts have quickly established themselves as legit AFC contenders with an 8-2 record coming off their bye week. But the impact that players like Warren and Downs are having in Indianapolis goes well beyond the football field.
“FedEx is doing a great thing feeding the Indianapolis area,” Downs said. “We went back there to the supply and it’s just incredible how many people are really helping out each and every day.”
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