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Athletes in the community: Thanksgiving roundup

Plenty of teams around the sports landscape were willing to give back on Thanksgiving.

by James Dator
Tom Pennington
James Dator
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Too often we hear about the ugly side of sports. The arrested athlete, or player who has deviated from socially acceptable behavior -- but this is the time for giving. It’s a chance to reflect on just how much good players and teams around the league do on a regular basis.

Organizations took to social media to share some of their best efforts, and it’s clear that a lot of struggling families and individuals benefited from this small segment of the population doing good.

The Miami Heat visited the City Rescue Mission to spend some time and give food.

Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers served meals to 820 children in Charlotte. The Cleveland Cavaliers served over 200 families.

Hundreds of families received meals courtesy of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

T.J. Ward and Joe Haden of the Browns helped deliver meals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder fed families.

Over 1,000 turkeys were given away by the Florida Marlins.

Members of the Carolina Panthers defense helped feed needy families. The Phoenix Suns met with families and packed meals.

Members of the Atlanta Falcons served food.

Foster children in Detroit were served food by Pistons players.

The New Orleans Saints hand out food.

Members of the Milwaukee Bucks meet with fans and hand out turkeys.

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