Patriots safety Devin McCourty is one of the faces of the organization’s community service endeavors, and he was at it again today to help “The Great American Milk Drive” at The Greater Boston Food Bank. All parties involved promoted the importance of donating nutrient-rich milk to food banks to fight hunger.
“It was great,” McCourty told the Herald after the event. “We’re down here at The Greater Boston Food Bank. We’re just talking about trying to help families out, donating milk and this is a great thing, The Great American Milk Drive. I just came in and tried to inspire. We had some great people speak about what the Food Bank does and how important milk is to the children growing up and their families. When I got up there, I just spoke about how it was a passion of mine to see families happy and not hungry.
“For me having a twin brother and now a 1-year-old niece, I see firsthand how much milk she destroys in a day just drinking it and drinking it. To think there are some families that go with just one gallon of milk for a whole year, that’s tough. I was happy that they asked me to be a part of this and included me in it. Just doing my part and it was a great event. People were really happy. Hopefully we get some good donations and people really get into it and see how important it is.”
This isn’t the first time McCourty has volunteered at a food drive.
“My rookie year, I donated turkeys in Providence for Thanksgiving,” McCourty said. “That’s one of the reasons I was out here. I was doing this because I saw how happy families were when they came and received a turkey and some food for Thanksgiving. They were so appreciative that it makes you want to do stuff like this and help people give back. I’m happy to be a part of it and hope something else comes up, and I’ll be happy to try to continue to help.”
McCourty and his brother, Titans cornerback Jason McCourty, have already launched their own successful charity, Tackle Sickle Cell, and the Patriots safety spent time in February at Children’s Hospital Boston learning more about ways to combat the disease. The three-time captain is out in the community as much as anyone, which makes him an obvious candidate for the organization’s Ron Burton Community Service Award, which is annually presented in August. Past winners include Joe Andruzzi (2003), Troy Brown (2004), Matt Light (2005), Jarvis Green (2006), Ty Warren (2007), Larry Izzo (2008), Kevin Faulk (2009), Vince Wilfork (2010), Jerod Mayo (2011), Zoltan Mesko (2012) and Matthew Slater (2013).
McCourty was asked what it would mean if he received such an honor.
“That would be incredible,” McCourty said. “For us in New England, you get a great example. I come in and see Vince win, see Slate win and Zoltan. You see so many guys do great things. For us, it’s not rare. It’s something you do. Everyone in the locker room tries to be part of something. Some guys do a little more. I think it’s great. I think the biggest thing is to try to inspire your teammates to do more. I’ve been to things where I invite my teammates to come, and I think once you go, guys are blown away by how much fun you actually have giving back and helping out. As a guy that is now a leader on the team, an older guy, I think the award would be special, but it’s bigger than that. I just want to try to teach the rookies, teach the young guys that come in, even the older guys that come in, and just show them the way. I remember Myra Kraft was here a little bit my rookie year right before she passed away, and you could just see how important it was to her to give back. I think it’s key for all of us as Patriot players to get involved and do something to make a difference.”
To donate to The Great American Milk Drive, visit www.milklife.com/give or text “Milk” to 27222.