DETROIT – Coming straight from the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving game at Ford Field, wide receiver Jameson Williams spent the evening giving back to families with a free Thanksgiving meal.
The Jameson Williams Foundation held its first-ever “Jamo’s Thanksgiving Dinner,” where families could have a sit-down meal or take one to go with two Detroit non-profits.
“Usually around Thanksgiving, the holidays, we do turkey drives usually, but this year we wanted to do it a little different,” said Williams. “We wanted to come out and feed families, and might as well get out into the community, show my face, and give back a little bit. That’s the main goal of all of this.”
The event benefitted families through Alternatives for Girls, a women’s shelter in Detroit that provides resources for young women and girls experiencing homelessness and domestic violence, and the Downtown Boxing Gym, which provides mentorship for young people.
William’s father, James Williams, said the foundation plans to make this an annual event and invite new non-profits each year.
“We’re grateful as a family, we’re grateful as a team, for all the positives, all the negatives, all the ups and downs, so we just want to be able to give back as much as we possibly can, whenever we possibly can,” Williams said.
The turkeys were donated by the non-profit organization Jive Turkeys Detroit.
“We’re just proud to play another role in fulfilling our mission,” said founder Harry Todd. “Feeding our families is what we do.”
Todd said the event fed around 150 people.
John Young attended the event with his nephews. He said seeing the fan favorite wide receiver give back to families in need was an experience they’ll never forget as lifelong Lions fans.
“I like that you give back to the city, you give back to the community,” Young said. “He saw something that inspired him, and now he’s giving back, and that’s what it’s all about.”
Williams said that by giving back to the community, he hopes to inspire the next generation.
“It was amazing just seeing the smiles on people’s faces and the excitement and everything. That’s great to me,” Williams said.