The group packed 600 Summer Essential Kits, which included a Vikings drawstring bag, snacks, bottled water, SPF lip balm, a poncho, bandages, antibiotic ointment and socks. They assembled an additional 400 Kids Activity Kits that featured a mini Vikings football, bookmark, Vikings activity book and colored pencils.
“It’s so much fun. I’m trying to make sure I do it all in order – only put in one pair of socks. sometimes I’m putting in two pairs of socks, and my hands are like boxing gloves, so I’m trying to sort it out,” Randle laughed. “But no, it’s really fun to be doing this and giving back to our community. And especially doing this as a Vikings Legend.
“I tell people all the time, ‘Football [players], we’re not just all about football, hitting, this and that. It’s about giving back to our communities,’ ” Randle added. “Our communities are our fans. They’re the people who are around us, that we’re a part of. I think Tony Dungy said it best, that success, or winning, it’s not just all about the game. Success is winning in our communities. And this is a great way to give back, to show our appreciation to the people of Minnesota. It warms your heart to be a part of this.”
Randle is not only impacted as a father of two himself, but he also recalls days as a youngster when his family couldn’t afford food for balanced meals.
“I would have a cookie for dinner sometimes,” he said. “I think it really helps you when you have a full belly to focus on other things [besides being hungry] – you can focus on doing homework, you can focus on [exercising] – you don’t have to be concerned about looking for that meal.
“It takes a burden off the parents to have this, and I’m just so appreciative of what the Vikings are doing,” Randle added. “It’s a wonderful thing.”
After bags were packed Monday by Randle and the other volunteers, they were distributed throughout the week, along with meals, to different community partners.
Vikings Table on Tuesday served 150 lunches at YouthLink to young people experiencing homelessness. On Wednesday, 400 pre-packaged meals were delivered to The Sanneh Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Chef Ryan Moyer has been working with Vikings Table over much of the past five years. He emphasized the importance of providing meals and imparting nutrition education to nonprofits, families and individual youth – especially considering there is an increased need for daytime meals during summer months.
“I don’t know if everybody does that good of a job [with the education piece]. What we see on TV and everything else, we’re not always promoting the healthiest foods [as a society],” Moyer explained. “So if we can help youth understand and show them what healthy food is, and we can make it fun and they like it, it’s great.”
Moyer’s notes were put into action Thursday, when Vikings Table visited Dayton’s Bluff Elementary School during its field day and delivered Smart Energy Snacks powered by Xcel Energy to 275 students and 75 school staff members.
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