Former New York Jets kicker Jay Feely helping feed COVID-19 first responders
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, the message across the country, let alone the world, was to stay at home. The exception was essential businesses, and the emphasis on that was about medical workers. Those workers need to eat. Former New York Jets kicker Jay Feely wanted to make that task easier for them.
Feely and his son Jace, who is a junior at Gilbert Christian High School in Arizona (and a placekicker of course), have been purchasing meals from local restaurants and then delivering those meals to healthcare workers and first responders. There is a great piece in the Arizona Republic on Feely's efforts that ran this week.
“Like everyone else, we were sitting around our house trying to practice social distancing and at the same time thinking about how we can help,” Feely said to Sports Illustrated’s ‘Jets Country’ this week.
“A number of my friends have businesses and small businesses, restaurants, and you talk to them and you find out their businesses are down 80%, 90%. They're struggling. Then I saw a story up in Washington, a lady was buying meals from restaurants and taking them to first responders and just saying, ‘Hey, thank you for what you're doing for me’.”
You can hear the entire conversation with Jay Feely here: https://soundcloud.com/seth-everett/jay-feely-on-bringing-meals-to-healthcare-workers
The gesture to give these meals to the people that are fighting so hard to save lives is truly an admirable gesture that has not gone unnoticed.
“The surprising thing is how much positive feedback we've gotten from both the people that we brought to, as well as other people in the medical field just saying that it means so much to them,” Feely said.
“To me, I’m like ‘it’s OK, you've brought them a meal.’ One of the doctors pulled me aside and just said this uplifted our whole department, and to hear that knowing what they're going through just makes it all worthwhile.”
Going out into a place where the virus is rampant is a risk to both Feely and his son. Feely addressed that concern.
“When we're picking things up, we just pick the food out from the restaurants they haven't already handed to us,” Feely said.
“Then we bring it and drop it off for the medical people outside and hand them the bags We are just trying to be as safe as we can both for them as well as for us.”
Feely spent two seasons with the Jets from 2008-09. He set the team record for consecutive field goals at 24. He also notably recorded his first career punt in a playoff game against Cincinnati when teammate Steve Weatherford was sidelined with an irregular heartbeat.
Following his playing career, Feely became a college and NFL commentator for CBS Sports, even doing sidelines for two Super Bowls.
He is passionate about his work in the community with the ongoing coronavirus. In addition to his work, also set up a GoFundMe page to raise even more money for the meals for the healthcare workers project. On Tuesday, the fund had raised over $14,000 with a goal of $20,000. He wrote on the GoFundMe:
“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.”
