The first stop was St. John’s Hospice (1221 Race St.), where the Owls — including Head Coach Al Golden, his wife, Kelly, and players Leyon Azubuike, Andre Douglas, Jason Harper, Terrance Knighton and Steve Maneri — unloaded 26 full turkey dinners. The meals were purchased by the players, managers and trainers, who donated their per diems, totaling $1,300. The next stop was the Bethesda Project (722 N. Broad St.), where they delivered 37 boxes of canned food items.

“This donation affects us in a number of ways,” said Beth Palubinsky, director of development for the Bethesda Project, which serves homeless men and women through its network of residences and shelters. “For one thing, everyone at Bethesda Project is a football fan, and Temple has made this a very exciting season for us. And of course, we’re grateful for the donation of canned goods…. For another thing, we welcome the chance to partner with our neighbors at Temple University in an effort to wrap our arms around vulnerable people. These young football players set a terrific example to their peers — really for the entire community.”

Golden also applauded the efforts of his team, and said that he was glad to be a part of the efforts.

“It is with great honor that Kelly and I represent Temple University and all of the members of the Temple football family who contributed to the first annual Temple Football Food Drive,” Golden said. “We are proud of our Owl Outreach Initiative and the impact that our student-athletes are having in the community. Furthermore, we are hopeful that the collective efforts of our football program will bring both nourishment and joy to more than 250 people this Thanksgiving season here in Philadelphia.”

For information on ways that you can help make the holidays a little brighter for others, visit www.temple.edu/newsroom and select Ways to Give 2007.

This story originally appeared at www.owlsports.com.
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