Retired NFL kicker Jay Feely spent four years of his 13-year career in New York — two years with the Giants (2005-2006) and two years with the Jets (2008-2009) — but now resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Like many across the country, Feely was stuck inside and feeling helpless when suddenly an idea came to him.
“I was sitting at home thinking, ‘What can I do? How can I help?'” Feely told the New York Post. “It has been a way to get out and say, ‘Thank you.'”
Recognizing that small businesses — namely restaurants — were suffering, Feely set up a GoFundMe page seeking donations so that he could not only buy meals from these struggling restaurants, but then have them delivered medical personnel and first responders on the frontlines battling the coronavirus pandemic.
We are all trying to do our part during these unsettling times. But some are risking more than others. Our health care workers and first responders are on the front lines, risking their own personal health, to protect the rest of us.
At the same time local restaurants are struggling like never before. Through no fault of their own, people are seeing their dreams crushed.
We can do our part to help both groups. For each donation My son Jace and I will go to a local restaurant and purchase food and bring it to our medical professionals and first responders. We can help both groups at the same time.
Please help me help those local businesses that are in dire need of support while also saying thank you to the people risking their lives for all of us.
To date, Feely has raised more than $20,000 and spent more than $11,200 of that on 760 meals that have been delivered to frontline workers at six different facilities.
“Helping the restaurants was my biggest thing at first,” Feely said “These restaurants are down 80, 90 percent business, so I thought, ‘What can I do to help them? Yeah, we can buy some meals from them takeout, but what else can we do?’
“It’s humbling when you go to an ER and all you’re doing is bringing them some food and they’re super thankful. I’ve always believed in community service and the value of developing your kids and trying to create a heart to serve in your kid.”
Feely’s actions have also had a ripple effect, encouraging others to step up and do the same to help.
“There really is a domino effect by what he’s done,” Kristin Dossetti, co-owner of Zinque Restaurant, said. “When people hear of someone like Jay doing that they think, ‘How can I do that?’ It’s kind of like you’re throwing a stone into a pond. The ripple effect is pretty enormous.”
The Dossetti family and the employees of Zinque had been struggling, but have now cooked up more than 300 meals purchased by Feely for the first responders.
“[Feely’s actions] are a reflection of the best of who we are,” Dossetti said.
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