Usually when the community or people of the New York/New Jersey metro area is in need they can count on the New York Giants to do their part to assist in easing the burden.
But with the social distancing rules keeping them from diving right into help the needy in this time of the deadly pandemic, assistance has to come in different forms. In other crises such as 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy, the club sent ground troops into the community to flex their expertise and muscles. This time, they needed to get more creative.
“We went to lockdown and thought, ‘Alright, we’re going to need to do something,’” said Allison Stangeby, the Giants’ vice president of community and corporate relations. “And went right back to, ‘What can we do? The players can do the videos and say ‘Hi, we’re thinking about you’ supporting the first responders, which we did a ton of. But in all honesty, making contributions to our community partners, who we are always working with, was pretty much the only thing that we could do to make a difference. It wasn’t like we were doing it to pat ourselves on the back or make ourselves feel better. We’re doing it because they need this help. This is the time where we can come together off the field and really make a difference.”
The first thing the Giants did was reach out to the Meadowlands YMCA, where the Giants are covering the cost of child care for area first responders.
Then, they figured out exactly what needed to be done, and went to work. Here’s an excerpt from a press release by the team:
Almost simultaneously with the child care launch, quarterback Daniel Jones reached out to Stangeby and said, “I want to help. What can I do?” After several conversations and a group email, numerous Giants players came together to contribute financially to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey and the Food Bank for New York City. The players were then eligible to apply for an additional grant through the NFL for up to $5,000.
“The food banks are desperate for everything, especially with the market going absolutely haywire,” Stangeby said. “Food is definitely a huge issue right now.”
The Mara and Tisch families have been characteristically involved in philanthropic efforts. For example, Laurie Tisch – Steve’s sister and the founder of the Laurie Tisch Illumination Fund – has donated $2 million to New York hospitals and first responders.
Some of the Giants’ other community contributions during the pandemic include the following:
• Donated leftover food from their facility and MetLife Stadium to Rock and Wrap it Up.
• Donated medical gloves and masks to Hackensack Meridian Health.
• Donated gloves, goggles and ponchos to the office of Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco.
• Donated ponchos to New York City for hospital use.
• Donated to Hackensack University Medical Foundation to provide food for first responders.
• Donated to the Food Bank for New York City, the Community Foodbank of New Jersey and the Center for Food Action.
• Donated to Americares.
• Donated to the N.J. Pandemic Relief Fund
• Donated to the New York City Police Foundation.As the pandemic continues, the Giants will continue to provide help where it’s needed.
In a normal year, the Giants would be in the midst of their OTAs and getting prepared for the upcoming NFL Draft. Instead, they are like everyone else these days—doing whatever they can do to flatten the spread and help the needy and the stressed of the local community.