SILER CITY, N.C. — This week, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association crowned the state football champions.
What You Need To Know
- Jordan-Matthews High School partnered with Mountaire Farms to distribute holiday boxes for their Christmas for Thousands campaign
- Thousands of boxes are given away for Christmas
- Boxes contain items like chicken, hot chocolate and dessert
Jordan-Matthews' season came to an end a while ago, but their head coach and his players were still huddled up and making a difference in their community during the holidays.
Head coach Ryan Johnson still has one more assignment to tackle.
“When the ball stops bouncing, pads come off. What kind of person are you after that," Johnson said.
Despite a losing season, Johnson is looking for a way to unite his team.
Mountaire Farms assembles and donates 5,000 dinner boxes every Thanksgiving. Each box contains a frozen chicken, mash potatoes, green beans, yams, hot chocolate and dessert. It's enough to feed a family of four.
This year, they partnered with organizations like Jordan Matthews Athletics to pack up and give away another 3,000 boxes for Christmas.
“It's important for them to understand football is going to end, but your community is always going to be there," Johnson said.
Building his program would begin with building a community.
“You know we are trying to bring back the Jordan Matthews High School period. The family atmosphere," Johnson said.
Saturday morning, in addition to helping other nonprofits pack pickups and minivans, he loaded up 400 meals for the jets to distribute in their community.
"Teamwork is more than what's on the football field. It's a community of young men doing things together that's bigger than themselves. That's what Coach Johnson instills, so it's nice to see them out here doing that," Ryan Korpela, a parent of a Jordan-Matthews Jets football players, said.
As motorists trickled in to pick up a box or two, the impact on the players was evident.
“One meal can open up a lot of stuff for other people. Even though it may not seem like it, that may be the best you can give," Carlos Valencia, a Jets offensive lineman, said.