Outside of the Green Bay Packers, there is no team in the NFL who has a longer and closer relationship with the site of their annual training camp than do the Pittsburgh Steelers with Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, where they have been going for half a century.
Needless to say, with such a close relationship, they feel a certain indebtedness and possessiveness about the college and the town. They have brought a lot to the college, especially in terms of equipment and things of that nature, which obviously benefits them when they are there, but is also used year-round.
The feeling is mutual, to be sure. If for nothing else, the Steelers bring in a lot of business to the community when they camp out there for a month or so during the summer, and bring thousands upon thousands of fans along with them, all of whom have to eat at some point, and many of whom, especially those who travel, will need a place to stay while in town.
It’s come to the point where they both feel that need to take care of one another, which we’ve seen manifest in a variety of ways. The latest comes from defensive end Cameron Heyward, who last week made the great gesture of ordering food for the local police department, having it delivered from Bubba’s in Greensburg.
While he didn’t bring the food over himself and has remained safely at home under quarantine, it was greatly appreciated by the police crew, who are serving as one of the first lines of defense in the battle against the current pandemic.
Many initiatives all around the country have popped up in which citizens donate money to have food delivered to hospital workers, EMTs, and others who are putting their lives on the line in service to their communities by exposing themselves to people who may have contracted the COVID-19 virus.
These first responders are working under immense stress. In many cases, they are working virtually around the clock, and have been forced to isolate themselves from their own families, all the while knowing that they may contract a virus that will kill them.
The very least we could do, outside of staying home for their sakes and making sure to lighten their workload as much as we possibly can, is to feed them. If you happen to be in such a position that enables you to do so, I would encourage all to find a program, either somewhere near them or within one of the epicenters of the outbreak, that feeds these frontline workers and make a donation today.
Just one example in New York City is Feed the Frontlines, who are looking to raise $875,000 to meet the demands of providing food for healthcare workers while supporting local restaurants to help keep them in business. They are at $567,535 as of the time of this writing. You can donate here, or find another initiative of your choosing.
