Vikings, UnitedHealthcare deliver Thanksgiving meals
The Minnesota Vikings and UnitedHealthcare on Tuesday teamed up to purchase, package and deliver hundreds of Thanksgiving meals for St. Paul families in need. (View event photos.)
The fun took place at the West 7th Salvation Army in St. Paul, where UnitedHealthcare employees stuffed bags full of corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, green beans, and other Thanksgiving staples.
Afterward, the Minnesota Vikings offensive line showed up to distribute the bags of food, along with frozen Thanksgiving turkeys, to 200 families.
“This is an awesome opportunity,” said Vikings center Pat Elflein, while packing a Thanksgiving meal into the trunk of a family’s car. “We’re excited to be here and we’re having fun. It feels great to be a part of something like this.”
As special bonus, a dozen employees from the Minnesota Vikings showed up to spend an hour playing with preschool children enrolled in the West 7th Salvation Army’s Child Development Center, which provides quality, accredited childcare for low-income families.
“This event has been a blast,” said Lt. Jonathan Taube, co-leader of the West 7th Salvation Army. “We are grateful to the Vikings and UnitedHealthcare employees for caring enough to support The Salvation Army and this community. These families mean so much to us.”
UnitedHealthcare’s effort was part of the company’s “Do Good. Live Well.” initiative to fight hunger and obesity.
Poverty is an everyday battle that families don’t always win. Thankfully, there is an army of loving people like you who fight on their behalf. Your generosity puts food on their table, presents under their tree, and joy in their hearts. Join the fight for good by donating online or at a red kettle, becoming a volunteer bell ringer, or recruiting your own army of fundraisers at FundraiseForGood.org.