The Philadelphia Eagles are making sure that Philadelphia Public League high school football teams come-out of the coronavirus pandemic ready for the 2021 high school football season. The National Football League team has announced its donation of more than $330,000 in Gatorade product and football equipment to teams in the PPL.
“The Philadelphia Eagles have always been dedicated to the health, safety and development of children through a commitment to youth football programming,” said Eagles President Don Smolenski. “While many experiences were taken away from them this past year, these young athletes have been resilient in the face of adversity. We are proud to partner with Gatorade and the Philadelphia Public League to ensure that our youth have the proper nutrition and equipment needed to support a safe and healthy return to sports this fall.”
Food insecurity became a large issue facing youth athletes of the Philadelphia Public League during the pandemic. To ensure that these athletes have the proper food, nutrition and sports drinks needed to perform at their best, the Eagles partnered with Gatorade to donate 1,000 bottles of Gatorade and 1,000 protein bars to the Philadelphia Public League. As an added layer, the Eagles purchased an additional $20,000 in product from Gatorade, bringing the total donation to $25,000. These resources were distributed to many of the 73 Philadelphia Public League member schools to help support all of their sports programs.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of Gatorade and the Philadelphia Eagles,” said James Lynch, executive director of the Philadelphia Public League. “The pandemic was challenging for all of us and a donation like this will go a long way for our programs, providing much-needed resources to our coaches and student athletes as they prepare for what we hope will be great seasons next fall.”
While the Eagles were working closely with Gatorade to fulfill the food and hydration shortage for the Philadelphia Public League, the team was made aware that an equipment upgrade was also needed. As part of the team’s mission to promote the health and safety of youth football participants, the Eagles equipment staff donated more than $305,000 worth of football equipment to the program. Nearly 3,800 items ranging from T-shirts, sweatshirts, winter coats, gloves and cleats will be distributed to 21 football league members, benefitting more than 1,500 youth athletes.
