NFL star Drew Brees and his wife donate $5 million to Louisiana amid coronavirus crisis: 'Let's do our part'
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, on Thursday, announced that he and his wife Brittany are donating $5 million to the state of Louisiana in 2020 considering the coronavirus crisis in the country.
The National Football League (NFL) legend took to Instagram to write about the news, saying: "The priority now is helping our communities get through this tough time."
The Brees family, according to the post, will be working with a few organizations and companies to provide 10,000 meals every day to children, families, and seniors in need "for as long as it takes."
Brees named organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Small Sliders and Waitr as partners in the endeavor.
"Brittany and I are committing $5,000,000 to the State of Louisiana in 2020," the player wrote. "The priority now is helping our communities get through this tough time. After considerable research and conversations with local organizations, we will be mobilizing our partnerships with Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-Ons, Jimmy Johns, Smalls Sliders and Waitr to prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals per day throughout Louisiana for as long as it takes to children on meal programs, seniors, and families in need. Let’s all do our part, maintain hope, and get through this together," he added.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards thanked the NFL star for his contribution and generosity on Twitter. "We are all grateful for your family’s support and generosity through this trying time," he wrote. The governor, earlier this week, had requested President Donald Trump to declare his state a major disaster region.
Edwards, in his letter to Trump, had included a chart showing that Louisiana had surpassed New York in terms of the growth in the number of new coronavirus cases. New York is the worst-hit state in the country with nearly 50 percent of the nation's cases emerging from the region.
Brees, who joined the Saints in 2006, was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2010. He was given the accolade for his work supporting New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The 41-year-old footballer also received Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award for charity work in 2006.
The NFL star, earlier this month, reaffirmed his interest in re-signing with the Saints earlier this month when he said: "I am Who Dat Nation for life." He later agreed to a two-year $50 million deal to remain in the same team, Fox News reported.
Brees donation came days after Saints head coach Sean Payton, who had contracted the deadly coronavirus, earlier this week announced that he was "cleared" of the virus and was doing well.
Coronavirus cases in the United States crossed 84,000 on Thursday, making it the country with most number of infections in the world. At least 1,300 people have died from the virus in the nation. While the virus has infected over 540,000 people worldwide, with over 24,000 recorded deaths, reports state. There is no officially approved cure or vaccine for the treatment of Covid-19 yet.