On Sunday, November 21 at 1:00 p.m., the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offensive line and Publix Super Markets will provide Thanksgiving meals for those less fortunate at the 15th Annual Turkey Time with the O-Line supported by Publix.
A holiday tradition for the Buccaneers' offensive line, this year's food distribution effort will provide 1,000 meals for local families thanks to more than $45,000 in donations from the team's offensive line and coaches.
During the event – which will be held at Raymond James Stadium's Publix Lot 14 between the stadium and the team's AdventHealth Training Center – more than 75 Buccaneers staff members, Buccaneers Cheerleaders and Captain Fear will distribute meals to families pre-selected by United Way Suncoast and local nonprofit organizations. In addition, Buccaneers Legends including former offensive linemen Jeremy Trueblood (2006-2012) and Anthony Davis (2004-2008) will help distribute meals and carry on the tradition they helped launch in 2007.
Buccaneers player participation this year will be virtual – A special video message and holiday card will be shared with each of the families from offensive linemen Alex Cappa, Ryan Jensen, Robert Hainsey, Nick Leverett, Ali Marpet, John Molchon, Donovan Smith, Aaron Stinnie, Brandon Walton, Josh Wells, and Tristan Wirfs, as well as Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin and Offensive Line Coach Joe Gilbert.
To kick off the event, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation Social Justice Fund will present a matching grant of $44,000 to the nonprofit organization Feeding Tampa Bay. This is the team's fourth consecutive year collaborating with Feeding Tampa Bay for the holiday initiative. The matching donation will be mobilized through school pantries, mobile pantries and with Feeding Tampa Bay's more than 550 agency pantries to help provide meals to community members in need this holiday season.
On Sunday, families will receive a full meal purchased by the Buccaneers' offensive line, with contributions from Publix, including $20,000 in Publix gift cards – a $20 gift card for each family. These hearty meals include one 12-16-pound turkey, stuffing, Betty Crocker Au Gratin Potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, green beans, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie, along with King's Hawaiian Rolls donated by King's Hawaiian. The families will also receive Thanksgiving kits in reusable shopping bags, including a foil roaster and storage container.
On-site interview opportunities with team representatives and Buccaneers Legends will be available. Contact Allen Barrett at 813.767.9862 / abarrett@buccaneers.nfl.com
*What: *15th Annual Turkey Time with the O-Line supported by Publix
Who: Buccaneers Legends, Staff, Cheerleaders, Captain Fear and 1,000 families
*Participating families have been pre-selected by local nonprofit organizations
Where: AdventHealth Training Center
3302 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33607
*Media enter by main entrance and park in Lot 15 (to the right before the guard booth)
*When: *Sunday, November 21
1:00 p.m. – Grant presentation to Feeding Tampa Bay
1:05 p.m. – Meal distribution begins
3:00 p.m. – Event conclusion
Sunday's Thanksgiving event is carrying on the tradition launched in 2007 as a way for the Buccaneers offensive line to make a major impact in the Tampa Bay community during the holidays. Following this year's distribution, the annual effort will have provided more than 11,500 underserved families with Thanksgiving meals.
Media: Allen Barrett
Senior Manager of Community Public Relations
