The Green Bay Packers’ quarterbacks teamed up Tuesday to hand out coats to families in need.
Jordan Love and his Hand of 10ve Foundation partnered with Better Days Mentoring LLC to distribute 1,100 coats to adults and children. Backup quarterback Malik Willis was on hand to help, as well.
“I think it’s very cool, it’s very powerful to be able to help people out,” Love said. “I think giving back is very important. It’s the way I was raised. My parents were very giving people.”
Eddie Boyce, owner and founder of Better Days, said the fifth annual coat drive was critical to families that could not afford to pay $160 for an adult’s coat or $50 for a child’s coat, or for multiple children’s coats.
“He’s always talking about giving back to the community. I said we’ll host the coat drive because the community will come,” Boyce said. “(The coat drive’s) grown a lot bigger, especially with his help. He really wanted to give coats to a lot of these kids.”
Also on hand Tuesday was Green Bay Packers Director of Player Engagement Grey Ruegamer.
By late morning, only about 150 of the original 1,100 coats remained.
Better Days Mentoring is a private entity that works intensively with clients and their families to gain control over emotional, behavioral and environmental issues. It works with clients who present behavior issues and come from a variety of backgrounds and situations. The ability to relate and establish connections with young individuals allows Better Days to meet them where they are and head off problem behaviors before they arise.
Boyce also is executive director of The Coalition for Youth / Adult Diversion Programs, a nonprofit organization that works with the Green Bay Police Department and Brown County justice system to provide community collaboration, advocacy, mentorship and education. The CYADP diverts young people from the traditional criminal justice system and works to assist young people of color with an end goal of providing a fair and equal platform for all races.