On Dec. 18, 2017, Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl Safety Malcolm Jenkins and The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation (TMJF) provided holiday meal baskets for 140 Philadelphia families at the Foundation’s annual Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise, in collaboration with the Philadelphia Police Department. Fellow Eagles defensive backs Rodney McLeod, Patrick Robinson, Jalen Mills, Jaylen Watkins, Corey Graham, and Sidney Jones were also in attendance to help anywhere they were needed. The day consisted of packing, filling and spreading holiday cheer to everyone around.In keeping with the jersey number (27) that Malcolm wears on the field, The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation selected 27 local social service organizations to serve as partners in identifying five (5) families in need of a festive blessing, from within the community their organization serves. Each partnering organization picked up the festive gifts during the event, and delivered them to the families of their choosing.The event was hosted by the Philadelphia Police Department at the Police Athletic League center in Strawberry Mansion. In addition to packing and handing out dinner baskets at PAL, Malcolm Jenkins, Eagles players, TMJF volunteers, along with Philadelphia PAL and Community Relations Officers hand delivered holiday dinner baskets to several families with children under the age of 15, surprising each child with toys. Many families received toys this holiday season, thanks to the generous contributions from Hersha Hospitality, United Bank of Philadelphia, The Ohio State University Alumni Club of Philadelphia and Damari Savile who each conducted toy drives for the Foundation.In the past year, Malcolm has continued to work with Commissioner Ross and others in the Philadelphia Police Department to explore and support department efforts to strengthen trust within the community. The ongoing collaboration underscores the spirit of giving during the holidays, and the importance of “giving back” to people living in challenged communities in Philadelphia, where 27 percent of households live below the poverty level.Thanks to the assistance of Brown ShopRite, the Foundation received select food items for the holiday dinner baskets. In addition, a grant from Keystone First was given to the Foundation to help assist in filling the baskets with the necessary food items. Also, a warm thank you to Dunkin’ Donuts (Cecil B. Moore Ave., Philadelphia, PA and Ogontz Ave., Wyncote, PA locations) and Starbucks (Flourtown, PA) for providing all our volunteers with the necessary food and drinks to keep them warm during the packing and delivering.
'Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise’ Feeds 135 Philadelphia Families
It was a scene of hustle and holiday cheer as Philadelphia Eagles Free Safety Malcolm Jenkins and The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation (TMJF) provided holiday meal baskets for 135 Philadelphia families at the Foundation’s Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise.Taking place in collaboration with Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s Annual Holiday Event, hosted in partnership with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the inaugural event provided turkeys, provided by Giant Food Store, and baskets with food inclusive of everything needed to prepare a traditional holiday meal. Reflective of the jersey number (27) that Jenkins wears on the field, the Foundation engaged 27 area churches and organizations to each select five families in need of the festive blessing, before distributing the baskets to their communities.In addition to handing out dinner baskets, TMJF, the Mayor’s Office, the FOP and special guests that included 6abc’s Sharrie Williams and award-winning trombonist Jeff Bradshaw, welcomed an additional 27 families with children under the age of 12 and provided lunch before surprising each child with a bag of toys.
“Sometimes the families who need us most aren’t easy to reach,” said Jenkins. “With community groups, the Mayor’s office, and the Fraternal Order of Police at our side, we reached hundreds of families who might have been passed over this holiday season.”Annually, The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation’s Holiday Dinner Basket Surprise has served 135 families in New Orleans since 2011. Striving to make a sustainable impact on young people and their families in every city in which Malcolm Jenkins has lived, played, and attended school, the effort has now expanded to Philadelphia.
